Residents and businesses in the northern part of the City of York were celebrating today after Clifton Moor's long-awaited new police station opened.

On the move: Acting Sergeant Andy Farrar carries a box into the new police station at Clifton Moor. Picture by Frank Dwyer

The £180,000 purpose-built station next to the ikon/Diva nightclubs was pronounced fully operational at 10pm last night as the late shift came on duty.

Strensall police station, previously the headquarters of York's northern area police, has now closed.

Insp Howard Harding, the officer in command of the northern local area, said the new station would enable officers to respond much more quickly to incidents in Clifton and Clifton Moor.

He said: "There will be significantly better response times. This area is where the bulk of our work is and it makes sense for us to be based here.

"It will mean officers spending less time on the way to incidents and more time on the spot. It's bound to be more effective."

Robbie Burnett, manager of Phase 1 of the Clifton Moor shopping centre, said: "It's good news. We've been looking forward to it ever since it was first mentioned. Having the police up here should be a very good deterrent."

Brian Flanagan, neighbourhood watch co-ordinator for Burton Green - formerly Kingsway North - in the heart of Clifton, said: "It should benefit everybody around here - everybody except the baddies.

"It will mean the police won't have to keep coming from Strensall when anything happens, and that must be good."

The new station will be the base for about 40 officers - 30 uniformed constables, four sergeants, an inspector, and a small CID team.

But Insp Harding said it didn't mean the police would be neglecting their rural beat.

The northern local police area includes Strensall, Wigginton, Haxby, New Earswick and Stockton-on-the-Forest.

Insp Harding said community officers would continue to patrol in those areas.

Community officers had set up offices at Strensall camp and in the old school at Wigginton as a way of making sure they remained at the heart of their beats, he said.

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