Accommodation for Ealing Borough OCU

Report: 6
Date: 04 April 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report considers the accommodation requirements for Ealing Borough Operational Command Unit (OCU) following the change from divisional policing to borough based policing. It seeks approval to the medium term borough accommodation strategy through alteration, extension and refurbishment works to Acton and Southall Police Stations, with the replacement of Ealing Police Station by a police office. This will rationalise the borough OCU accommodation, increase custody capacity and bring the accommodation up to acceptable modern standards. 

A. Recommendations

1. Members note the business case for rationalisation and improvement of accommodation, particularly custody facilities, for Ealing Borough OCU;
2. determine whether to endorse the recommendation in support of the only viable option in the Investment Appraisal, and if so;
3. support the medium term accommodation requirement to undertake alteration, extension and refurbishment works to the existing Acton and Southall Police Stations and replacement of Ealing Police Station by a police office,; and
4. note that necessary adjustments will be made to the medium term capital programme 2002/3 to 2005/6 to reflect cost changes to the project and will be submitted to Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee (FPBV) for ratification.

B. Supporting information

1. This paper summarises the Business Case and Investment Appraisal for the medium term accommodation requirements of the Ealing Borough OCU by undertaking alteration, extension and refurbishment works at Acton and Southall Police Stations and replacement of Ealing Police Station by a police office.

2. The amalgamation of Ealing and Southall Divisions into Ealing Borough OCU as a part of Borough Based Policing, has presented challenges in determining the best use of accommodation to ensure effective service delivery to the people of Ealing. Current accommodation does not provide adequate office space and the number of cells available is frequently below normal operational requirements.

3. It was originally anticipated that only work to the Front Office and custody suite at Acton would be required at the time the Acton project was entered into the capital works programme. With the review of borough wide facilities (mid 2001) the project broadened to embrace works at Southall and more extensive works at Acton and incorporated the planned sale of Ealing.

4. The Business Case produced by the Borough OCU (building user) is attached at Appendix 1, which details the current deficiencies in their accommodation and resulting operational inefficiencies. In consultation with the Borough OCU, the selected option has been endorsed as of high priority.

5. The Investment Appraisal (Summarised at Appendix 2 of the Exempt report) explains the long-term strategy for the Ealing Borough OCU Headquarters. It envisages the construction of a new headquarters building in a central part of the borough. However, capital funds are not available and although this might be included in a future Private Finance Initiative (PFI) or similar project for Northwest London buildings, it is not likely to materialise during the next decade. The Appraisal therefore, considers a 15-year period covering the short and medium term needs of the borough OCU. It concludes that the best value option is to undertake alteration, extension and refurbishment works at Acton and Southall Police Stations and the replacement of Ealing Police Station by a police office.

6. Ten options are considered in the Investment Appraisal (which follows Home Office guidelines). For reasons explained in the Appraisal these were reduced to only one viable medium term option, which is:

• "Undertake refurbishment, alterations and extensions to the existing Acton and Southall Police Stations and replace the existing Ealing Police Station with a police office serving the town centre." These building will be supported by the existing sector bases and police offices at Greenford, Norwood Green, North Greenford and Hanwell.

7. The recommended option was based upon the following factors:

• It is the only viable option that satisfied the medium term accommodation requirements in anticipation of the long-term strategy to provide a new build borough OCU.
• The other options considered do not rationalise accommodation by allowing for the disposal of Ealing Police Station, do not provide the required level of accommodation, are impracticable, expensive, require a long time period and are inconsistent with the Operational Building Strategy.
• It represents the "do minimum" option and provides the best value.
• It would be convenient to include various items of repair and refurbishment works within the construction contracts, particularly to the Acton Police Station, to be funded from revenue expenditure.
• The improved and refurbished accommodation can be provided using a phased building programme to minimise disruption, commencing with works to Acton Police Station in January 2003, followed by works to Southall Police Station. Ealing Police Station would be retained until all building works are completed.
• If the long-term plan for a new borough OCU is not achieved, then the two buildings at Acton and Southall, together with several police offices, could be capable of providing suitable accommodation for a further period (subject to any necessary alteration and refurbishment works).
• This option would only require a small increase in annual revenue expenditure.

C. Financial implications

1. The user has confirmed that the project remains of high priority. Provision for the project was included in the medium term capital programme 2002/3 to 2005/6 approved by FPBV at the meeting on 17 January. It will be necessary to make adjustments to the costs included in budgets to reflect updated works estimates priced by the consultant Quantity Surveyor which will be referred back to FPBV for ratification. Cost increases are identified in the exempt paper.

2. The capital and revenue costs (including fees and an allowance for DoI infrastructure works) for the alteration, extension and accrued maintenance works to the existing Acton and Southall Police Stations will be subject to competitive tender and the estimates are in the exempt paper.

3. Running costs would increase by approximately £55,000 per annum from year five for the whole of borough accommodation as a result of the capital works. This amount includes the lease cost of a police office in Ealing.

4. The proposed works require the purchase of a small parcel of land close to Southall Police Station and details are given in the exempt paper.

5. The cost of building works at Acton has mainly been included in the agreed capital programme for 2003/04 (subject to approval of the revised costs), but with small amounts of expenditure in 2002/03 and 2004/05. The building works at Southall has been included in years 2004/05 and 2005/06. Revenue expenditure would be required during the same periods.

6. The sale of Ealing Police Station is expected in year 2006/07 and further details are given in the exempt paper.

D. Background papers

• First Stage Investment Appraisal (available to Members only)
• Operational Building Strategy (OBS) – 1990
• OBS Annual Review and Update – 2001/02

E. Contact details

Report author: Trevor Lawrence, Director Property Services Department, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1: Ealing Borough Building Works Proposal Business Case

Title of project: Extensions to the Custody Suites at Southall and Acton with additional office accommodation.

Full location of works: Southall and Acton Police Stations

Name of originator: 

1. Joyce Brown, Finance & Resource Manager
2. David Shaylor, Chief Inspector, CJU Manager
3. Peter Goulding, Chief Superintendent, Ealing OCU

Overview

This paper presents the Business Case for the planned major building extensions for Southall and Acton Police Station sites encompassing the custody suites and general office accommodation. In respect of Acton, this would be within the existing boundaries. In respect of Southall, we are proposing the purchase of additional ground that is adjacent to the existing boundaries. It also looks at the possible disposal of Ealing Police Station subject to the previously mentioned extensions and with the provision of a 'Police Shop' somewhere in the location of Ealing Town Centre.

The amalgamation of Ealing and Southall Divisions, under Borough Based Policing, (BBP), has created the necessity to ensure that the new Ealing borough OCU has the facilities, infrastructure and accommodation to support effective service delivery for the people of Ealing. The London Borough of Ealing statistics show that 41.4% of its population are classified as `non-white'; this is one of the highest proportion of `non-white' ethnic groups of any Local Authority in the country. The ethnic mix of the borough brings particular challenges demanding a broad-based, sensitive policing approach, which is particularly challenging on the western side of the borough in Southall, which also hosts a high number of religious festivals and celebrations. These festivals and celebrations are increasing year on year. The largest of these events, including Eid-Ul-Adha, Vaisakhi and Baisakhi are policed using MPS-wide resources.

The proposed works are therefore crucial and are key drivers for the Ealing borough OCU. They have been designed to meet the borough's policing needs for 2002 and into the foreseeable future.

Background

Current situation

The borough's current buildings number seven in total, Norwood Green, Greenford and Hanwell are over 100 years old and there is no room for expansion nor are they suitable for adaptation for other usage. North Greenford was a LBE housing and repair depot and is used to house a sector unit, the borough training unit and a purpose built forensic suite. Ealing, Acton and Southall Police Station's were built in the 1970's to accommodate the personnel and infrastructure for each of their divisional policing functions for the local communities. Each of these buildings has a fully commissioned custody suite which consist of the following number of cells and detention rooms: Acton, 2 cells and 2 detention rooms; Ealing 5 cells and 2 detention rooms and Southall 9 cells and 2 detention rooms. This gives the borough 16 cells and 6 detention rooms but this is frequently insufficient for normal operational requirements and prisoners are taken to Harrow, Kilburn or Chiswick as required. These facilities are also inadequate for borough needs during the public order events held at Southall; on these occasions use has to be made of Carey Way, Wembley.

The custody suite at Ealing Police Station is built on two floors and the Senior Management Team have real concerns around the health and safety of our custody staff and prisoners. The stairs to the upper cells wind around two flights that are narrow and steep. In the last year alone, there have been ten incidents where officers have been injured whilst dealing with violent prisoners, several of these have occurred whilst trying to negotiate the stairs to the upper cells. There is no opportunity to enable us to change the layout of this particular building.

At Acton, the custody suite accommodation also gives rise to concerns around health and safety. The charging facilities are cramped and totally unsuitable for today's modern policing service and it is perhaps only with luck that we have previously avoided any serious accident or injury. These very limited facilities also create particular operational difficulties for the duty inspectors who frequently have to relocate both custody officers and prisoners between Ealing and Acton to deploy resources in an efficient way.

In addition to the problem with the cells, there is inadequate office accommodation for the boroughs needs and staff have to work in cramped conditions. This is particularly a problem at Ealing. In turn, this has prevented the full amalgamation of some of our functions, such as the CJU. With the added demands on boroughs to provide accommodation for such things as video interviewing for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses and the potential for the Glidewell proposals to bring the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff into police buildings, we find ourselves continually trying to fit more people into limited accommodation.

It is also envisaged that the Borough Youth Offending Team (YOT), could be accommodated within an extended Acton police station, giving easy access to the local Acton Youth Court and allowing greater contact and closer working with both the CID and CJU staff. They would then be able to vacate their own limited accommodation nearby.

The Child Protection Team (CPT) is currently located at Ealing Hospital and they have recently had to vacate part of their accommodation. The remaining accommodation is not ideal and they have expressed concern at their close proximity to an adjacent drug treatment centre. This unit could be located into one of the new buildings assisting both borough service delivery and enabling much closer contact with units such as the BIU, CJU, CID and YOT team.

Reasons for change

The borough's long term strategic vision is to achieve the following: 

• To retain separate parade sites at Acton, Southall, Ealing (town centre) and Greenford from which to deploy response teams 
• Accommodate modern, purpose built custody suites at both Acton and Southall at either end the borough, providing the cell capacity to cope with the public order events of Southall. To move as many support functions as possible to Acton and Southall. 
• To establish the Ealing Borough Headquarters in one of these two buildings.

This would provide us with enough cells and detention rooms across the borough for current and future needs and would allow the amalgamation of borough units and provide adequate storage facilities thereby utilising the facilities to their optimum level.

The control room functions of 'call receipt' and 'deployment' would be located in a CAD room at Southall police station.

Purpose of project

It is imperative that the planned major extension and refurbishment of both Acton and Southall Police Station sites continues and that we dispose of Ealing Police Station. This would enable us to encompass the additional components necessary to achieve our strategic vision and operational focus. The opportunity would then enable us to rationalise the borough's estate thus increasing policing efficiency and provide an element of best value to this scheme.

In the current climate of `risk assessments' especially for our operational staff, we could find ourselves being heavily criticised or penalised should an officer or prisoner sustain serious injury in the Ealing or Acton custody suites.

It is of paramount importance in the light of rising accommodation costs, that we then utilise our remaining buildings to their full potential.

Objectives

Strategic

In creating Ealing Borough OCU, it has been recognised that our policing style needs to reflect our partnership responsibilities under the Crime & Disorder Act. In addition, we have a requirement to meet the MPS priorities and Service Objectives for 2001/2002 and beyond, whilst providing a safe and reasonable working environment for our staff.

The MPS priorities require that we deal speedily and effectively with Young Offenders in partnership with other agencies to reduce offending and re-offending. This year the Home Secretary's Ministerial Priorities confirmed the emphasis placed on reducing local crime and disorder by working in partnership with other local agencies. Although working in partnership is not new to the organisation, there is a need to realign operational and support services to reflect the increased emphasis on Service priorities. In order to achieve these objectives, as appropriate accommodation infrastructure is required.

In June 1998, Sir Iain Glidewell conducted a review of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and how it worked within the criminal justice system. This resulted in a number of recommendations being made which are likely to have a significant impact on how CJUs are organised and staffed in the future, as well as challenging existing current police practices and procedures. Recommendation 14 of the Glidewell Report suggested a single integrated unit be formed to deal with the joint administration between police and the CPS. Such units can be located in police stations and a major opportunity exists to explore the viability of siting the local CPS at either Acton or Southall.

Both lawyers and caseworkers would be able to review files without them being transported between locations offering an obvious and immediate time and cost saving. Defects can be identified and rectified without the need for extensive correspondence and undue delays. In order for Ealing Borough to implement these Glidewell recommendations, it is essential that suitable accommodation is made available.

Local

The Ealing and Southall divisional training units have been unified into a borough training unit based at North Greenford and to ensure that proper emphasis is placed on their additional work, an essential is the provision of extra training accommodation.

The Ealing Borough Community Safety Unit, (CSU), which is an integral part of policing diversity, was set up at Hanwell within extremely tight deadlines although the accommodation available at the time is not deemed to be ideal. However, the opportunity offered by the extensions could free up appropriate accommodation to purpose meet the CSU's requirements.

There is also an important dimension to policing and service delivery, which relates to how we treat each other and the facilities and working conditions offered to staff within the Service. The Commissioner's current drive to make the MPS a 'great place to work' would also be met with vastly improved accommodation and facilities on this borough.

The extent to which the MPS objectives and local performance targets are met will be a critical measure of success.

Option appraisal

List of options

The options examined were:

1. To do nothing
2. To extend Acton Police Station only
3. To extend Southall police Station only using the existing site
4. To extend Acton and Southall Police Stations on existing sites
5. To purchase the adjoining buildings and land next to Southall Police Station and extend it alone.
6. To do both option 4 & 5 together

Discussion of options

1. To do nothing

This is not a feasible option because it does not comply with `best value'. This option would also preclude us from achieving full amalgamation and continues to place our staff and prisoners at risk.

2. To extend Acton Police Station only

Extending Acton Police station only would certainly improve our custody suite accommodation and increase the office space available but this would still leave us with no option but to retain Ealing police station.

3. To extend Southall Police station only using the existing site

Any extension of Southall Police station using the existing site only would not provide enough cells to replace the ones lost if we were to stop using the custody suite at Ealing. Neither would it provide enough office space to allow us to sell Ealing police station.

4. To extend Acton and Southall Police stations on existing sites

This option would certainly provide enough cell accommodation to allow us to close the custody suite at Ealing but again the office space provided would not be enough to satisfy our needs as an amalgamated borough or to accommodate the other demands on us for office space. We would still have no option but to retain Ealing police station.

5. To purchase the buildings and land adjacent to Southall Police station and extend it alone

Again, this would provide the amount of cells needed to replace the ones lost from the closure of Ealing custody suite, but it would still not provide enough office space to accommodate our needs. This means we would still need to retain Ealing Police Station.

6. To carry out both option 4 and 5 and purchase a small shop front office in Ealing

This option would provide the best flexibility to the borough and enable us to meet our obligations to the local community, the MPA and the GLA. We would increase our charging facilities at a time when it has been recognised centrally that the MPS as a whole, has insufficient cell accommodation. We would have enough office accommodation to enable us to complete our amalgamations and to provide accommodation for the other organisations that we are being encouraged to work more closely with.

Preferred option

It is our opinion that Option 6 To purchase the buildings and land adjacent to Southall Police Station and to extend both Acton and Southall, meets the requirements for the full amalgamation of Ealing Borough OCU units and borough policing needs. The extension of these buildings also fulfils a number of Estate management objectives by disposing of Ealing Police Station thus rationalising the borough estate helping to offset spending and reducing the MPS corporate accommodation and overheads.

We believe that the following non-financial factors also adds significant weighting to the argument for the extensions and purchase:

• Will allow the rationalisation of operational and support elements for the borough
• Will ensure compliance of Health & Safety at Work space standards
• Will allow the final consolidation of the CJU
• The formation of Ealing Borough OCU with the facilities, infrastructure and accommodation to support effective Service delivery, which will also satisfy the accommodation, needs for the 21st Century.

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