TWO schoolchildren who put the first spades into the ground for a new police headquarters have officially opened the building.

Macie Sexton, seven, and Luke Thompson, eight, from Viewley Hill Primary School joined Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger and Chief Constable Mike Veale to cut the ribbon on the multi-million pound Community Safety Hub in Hemlington, near Middlesbrough.

The building houses many teams and specialisms including the police control room, intelligence officers, chief officers, specialist command rooms for use in major incidents and the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Staff and officers moved over to the new base in July this year from the previous headquarters in Ladgate Lane.

Mr Coppinger said: “The Community Safety Hub is an investment for the future, that’s why I wanted Macie and Luke to officially open the building – they are the generation that will benefit from the work that takes place.

“This is not just a police building, but is a space for other emergency services, community groups and partner agencies to collaborate. It also provides a very impressive number of green credentials.

Mr Veale added: “We’ve become more efficient and effective by working from this building. It houses state-of-the-art technology in the control room, the ability to view CCTV from any room, and adapts to become the centre to accommodate emergency services dealing with any major incidents on Teesside.

“My aim is to continue to invest in new technology to help cops on the ground, and remove bureaucracy within the ranks."