THE new North Yorkshire Police headquarters “feels like moving from the 18th Century into the 21st Century”, according to the force’s Chief Constable.

Dave Jones and Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan unveiled the new Alverton Court headquarters in Northallerton yesterday, as teams of officers continue to move from the Grade II-listed Newby Wiske site.

The move is expected to save the force hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, as between 400 and 500 people will eventually work from the new site, fewer than at the Newby Wiske building, with those who are not transferred working from other, more appropriate, NYP sites.

Mr Jones said the new building was “far more economical”, and the transfer “feels like moving from the 18th Century to the 21st Century”, with open-plan floors, touchscreen technology in meeting rooms, and ‘flexible working’.

He said: “Newby Wiske is of its day, it’s a very old building and has little infrastructure to support a modern-day police service.

“I have no office, none of the senior officers have an office, we all work in open-plan footing and that provides an opportunity for better communications. We’ve got people sat next to each other problem solving, we have the public, and it’s just better environment and I think that will lead to a better service.”

The first team to be up and running at the new site is the digital forensics department, the team responsible for analysing phones, computers and technical devices involved in criminal enquiries, with the rest of the building expected to be filled later this year.

Acting Detective Sergeant Phil Lacey is running the team, and said the new site was an improvement on their previous offices, which were spread out across the Newby Wiske site.

He said: “We’ve been here since the middle of May. It’s a far more purpose built facility for our department. All three units – the mobile phone unit, the high-tech crime unit and the cybercrime unit are all under one roof, allowing us to work together.

“That will allow us to gain forensic accreditation from the UK Forensic Regulator, meaning everything we do will be to a certain standard and code and it will allow us to be far more joined up in our way of working across the department.”

Newby Wiske cost roughly £1m a year to run, and while exact figures are not available for Alverton Court, it is expected to be far lower, with a saving made by refurbishing Alverton Court rather than building a new facility at South Kilvington.

Mrs Mulligan said: “Over the next few years this will save about £10m.

“It’s coming in on budget and it’s making a real difference to the way people work for the public. There are bound to be a few hiccups along the way, but we’re hoping that everybody will be moved in by the Autumn.”

Mr Jones said: “I think this is good for business for Northallerton.

“We’re one of the agencies that’s come back into Northallerton, which is the county’s seat, so we’re very keen to support the local economy. We know for a fact we’re bringing 400-500 people who will be shopping in the high street, and I think they’re welcoming us in that regard."