NEARLY £500,000 is to be spent refurbishing a North Yorkshire police station, as plans are rolled out to update the force's facilities.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has announced proposals to bring Northallerton police station and custody suite in line with the latest Home Office guidelines.

The police station, on the town’s High Street, had been due to close under plans to create a new Northern base for the police force at South Kilvington near Thirsk, which would have included a new, ten cell custody suite. But in July, Mrs Mulligan scrapped the plans in favour of more cost-effective proposals,which included investing in existing facilities.

Some operations and facilities will be relocated to Cleveland Police’s new headquarters just over the North Yorkshire border in Hemlington, Middlesbrough.

Northallerton Police station will be a base for one of four investigation hubs that North Yorkshire Police plans to introduce in the Spring.

The hubs will bring investigation resources together, so that crimes can be tackled quickly.

The main part of the refurbishment programme, costing £399,000, will take place next year. A further £100,000 has been earmarked for possible further improvements over the next four years, dependent on operational policing requirements.

Mrs Mulligan said: “Through the investigation hubs, North Yorkshire Police is introducing some important changes to the way that it works, which will put victims at the heart of the investigation process.

“Northallerton will be a focal point for this work during next year. However, the station, including the custody suite, is not fully fit-for-purpose and needs to be improved.

"I have made the decision to invest and we are now putting the plans in place, so that next year we can get on with the job.”

Chief Constable Dave Jones said: “Our custody suite at Northallerton is safe and serviceable now, but standards have moved on, and it does need improvement. The facilities will need to close for a short time while the work is done, but we have plans in place to manage that when it happens.

“Meanwhile, the investigation hub is a very positive development that will help us to bring offenders to justice more quickly, and we are looking forward to implementing that at Northallerton station in the new year.”