CANDIDATES for the Police and Crime Commission post in Durham have made a renewed call for a final decision on a controversial custody suite to be delayed until after the election.

The cross-party call comes as Durham Council Council considers proposals by Durham Police requesting permission to build the two-storey centre opposite Stanley Black & Decker at DurhamGate, near Spennymoor.

If approved, the application for a new 48-cell custody facility would see the closure of existing suites in Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Durham and Peterlee.

The force says the project is expected to cost around £21million, and will save it an average of £400,000 a year in pay and other costs.

Conservative candidate George Jabbour, who is calling for the halt of the plan until the election, has urged his Labour counterpart to join him in declaring that she too is considering reversing the plan if elected.

He said: "Based on the information that I have received so far, it is increasingly likely that if elected, I will reverse the custody centralisation decision.

"However, I am concerned about the costs that are being incurred and the contractual commitments that are being made now and which would lead to a significant loss to the taxpayer if the plan is reversed."

He added: "I believe that the Labour candidate shares many of my concerns about the centralisation of custody suites. "Based on recent results, the election is a two-horse race between the Conservatives and Labour, so one of us is going to be the next commissioner after the election.

"If the Labour candidate joins me in declaring that she too is considering reversing the custody centralisation decision if elected, it would become untenable for the Acting PCVC to continue incurring costs and making financial commitments so close to election time.

"By collaborating on this critical issue, we can set a positive example of how politicians from both Labour and the Conservatives can work together and find common ground for the sake of our community.”

Labour candidate Councillor Joy Allen said: "I called for the acting PCVC to halt these plans back in November and have been campaigning against the closures since then.

"Durham Constabulary has lost 492 police officers since 2010 and my fear is that these plans will stretch our already depleted force.

"I cannot support plans if they will take officers off the street for long journeys to and from a central custody suite."

She added: "We also have to remember that it is the Conservative Government who have slashed police budgets over the last ten years, meaning our forces have to think about making these decisions.

"I recently carried out a survey of over 1,000 residents across County Durham and Darlington and one thing is absolutely clear: people want to see more police on the street. The public don’t support these closures and it is right that the plans should be stopped until after the election in May."

Durham Chief Constable Jo Farrell has said previously: “The new custody and investigations suite is vital in making our detainees and officers safer.

“Most importantly, it will improve our ability to investigate crime and put victims first by ensuring we have the best quality interview rooms and CSI facilities to secure the evidence we need to secure a successful prosecution.

“Even when extra travel time is taken into account, it will mean our cops spend more time on the streets rather than waiting in police stations for hours on end to complete a lengthy prisoner handover."