Yesterday, the custody suite for the Bridgend area was moved to a new modern complex on Queens Road, Bridgend and will house a state of the art custody suite comprising of 42 cells.
The new custody suite will replace the outdated cells in Bridgend Police Station, and will be used for detainees from across Bridgend County while detainees from parts of Neath and Port Talbot will also be taken to Queens Road Police Station.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael welcomed the development which, he said, “will increase the efficiency with which offenders are dealt with following arrest, so that the investigating officers can be back on the streets as quickly as possible. That is vital when the calls on police finance from central government are posing real problems for the police.”
This new development will complement the custody suites in Cardiff Bay and Swansea, and assist in improving the police service provided across the South Wales region. A fourth facility is being built in Merthyr to complete the new system.
In addition to response teams, Queens Road Police Station will house the local neighbourhood teams, along with the investigations teams and will provide a much more efficient way of handling detainees as staff and expertise are held under one roof.
South Wales Police say that the centralisation of key functions together with the installation of appropriate equipment is expected to speed up the criminal justice process, improve the service for victims and enabling the available officers to be back on the streets much more quickly.
Chief Superintendent Joe Ruddy said “We are delighted to open our custody suite today, which will provide South Wales Police with the ability to adapt to future changes in policing and changes in the force as a whole”.
The Queens Road facility will not be open to the general public but the town centre Bridgend Police Station will continue to have a walk-in enquiry desk service.
