Justice & Police Stations
Protecting the community
Creating infrastructure that protects the public and keeps justice moving forward.
The UK’s justice system is under sustained pressure. Police forces, courts and prison services are managing rising demand, increasing case complexity and addressing much needed technological advancements to both improve services and counter persistent digital threats. All these challenges mean that many of the UK’s police and justice estates, at round 40-70 years old or containing 19th Century architecturally significant civic buildings are not designed to facilitate modern operations.
At Morgan Sindall we deliver in highly secure operational policing and custodial environments. Our teams understand that each refurbishment, upgrade or new building is delivered without compromising blue light and justice services continuity, ensuring that our clients can modernise their estates and still maintain public safety and security.
Morgan Sindall’s police and justice experience
Our journey with our police and justice customers has seen our business deliver a level of technical capability to estates across the UK.
- Regional and national blue light facilities, including specialist training units
- Secure project expertise with an inhouse security team
- Delivering in a fast-paced 24/7 court, prison and blue light live environments
- Cross-sector experience in projects where RAAC and other historical works are of a concern
- Managing multiple needs of service and community-based stakeholders, including collaboration with Fire & Rescue Services
- Creating a long-lasting legacy of social value for the community
Getting off to a flying start
Our Flying Start workshops bring together stakeholders from across the project, including procurers, building users such as constabulary or probation teams, community representation and supply chain to determine alignment and expectation amongst the entire project team.
These workshops ensure that each customer has had their voice heard and that their ultimate objectives for the project are voiced in the early stages in the process. This sort of open collaboration brings a cohesion builds positive working relationships that continue to add value throughout the entire project delivery to completion.
To get a feel for our Flying Start process, take a look at this video: https://youtu.be/XYkOm9rfBqI
At an undisclosed project for the blue light team the collaborative flying start process between our team and the customer highlighted the key objectives of project success would be defined by a high-quality and safe delivery, sustainable and efficient in operation building, whilst ensuring the project added value and impact for the local community. This open and honest conversation has set the tone for a ‘one team’ approach, simulating solutions for project and operational continuity in a live environment for the customer in the event of potential risks.
Safeguarding live environments
Police stations and justice facilities operate in a highly secure environment, with a significant number of buildings additionally public facing.
As part of our projects our customers can expect:
- Site security strategies aligned to the bespoke operational requirements of the existing site, including business continuity and emergency response planning
- Segregated construction zones and controlled access points around critical infrastructure
- Pre-vetted workforce and blue-light approved supply chain, with the support of a national security team
Early engagement on our police and justice projects means that our teams work collaboratively to ensure the security and safety of personnel or those from supporting rehabilitation agencies, neighbourhood groups, visiting staff, detainees and the public access and movement are all considered as part of each carefully phased construction processes. An example of which is the new Police Firearms Training Facility for Staffordshire Police, delivered in a live Police HQ environment.
Managing multiple stakeholder needs
Reductions in capital funding has meant that for many blue light services across the UK, teams are condensing estates and co-habiting to bring services under one, more operationally sustainable roof. These joint projects are a testament to the power that collaboration under one common objective is providing value for the community. As part of these types of projects our teams are not only working with Police and Fire Services, but often too incorporating stakeholders from rehabilitation or additional neighbourhood or community services.
This approach was demonstrated at Stowmarket Fire & Police Station, where the team delivered the first joint Police and Fire Station in Suffolk, which was equally one of the largest projects of its kind in the country.
Social value that supports rehabilitation
Our teams support the national and regional objectives of the Ministry of Justice’s reform and rehabilitation programme by embedding social value into our projects.
Positive outcomes include increased awareness of available careers, direct engagement with prospective employers, stronger links to post-release support networks and the creation of realistic employment opportunities that can help reduce barriers to work, promote successful reintegration and provide genuine second chances for individuals returning to their communities.
In London, the team has supported prisoner rehabilitation by creating direct pathways into construction employment. Though partnerships with organisations such as Bounce Back and supply chain partner O’Neill & Brennan, the business delivered engagement sessions at HMP Brixton, HMP Pentonville and HMP Wandsworth, linking those nearing release with opportunities at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre redevelopment and other sites in the area.
In the North West the team worked in partnership with HMP Styal in Cheshire, introducing women in custody to a wide range of construction careers as part of a series of events called - ‘Have a go.’ The programme enabled participants to engage directly with employers from our own supply chain and understand the range of opportunities the sector can offer upon release as well as specific requirements such as access to CSCS card training, CV and interview preparation to improve job readiness.
Case Studies
