VIDEO: New Police HQ officially opened

Monday 27 November 2017

Jersey’s Bailiff has officially opened the island’s new £22million Police HQ.

Although the force started moving into the building at the entrance to the tunnel, adjoining Green Street multi-storey car park, in March, the official opening was put on hold until the force had had time to settle in.

Commenting on the funding of the building, Sir William Bailhache noted that almost three-quarters of the cost had come from the Proceeds of Crime Fund – the ill-gotten gains of criminals. Jokingly he mentioned perhaps in future the fund could help pay for the cost of a supreme court in the island. 

Video: A look inside the brand new headquarters.

The new HQ is considered to be a state-of-the-art premises. A total of 266 piles have been driven 12 metres into the ground to support the building, and more than 1,000 tonnes of steel and roughly 4,500 cubic metres of concrete have been used in the construction.

Most of the building is office space. There’s a charging suite on the ground floor, and below that 22 holding cells. Special blast plates and reinforced pillars have been incorporated into the scheme in case the building should be bombed.

Vehicle access off La Route du Fort is provided both to the custody suite at ground floor level and to the basement parking. As part of the project, an extension to the top level of Green Street multi-storey car park has been constructed to replace an open car park area.

As part of the ceremony various items – including equipment, books, and documents - were encased in a time capsule in the wall of the building.