CO. DERRY firm Henry Brothers has begun work on a major £9m refurbishment scheme of Wolverhampton Central Police Station.
The renovation on the Bilston Street site is expected to take 16 months to complete, during which the station will remain open to the public.
Once complete, the station will have better victim facilities, provide officers with a modern workplace and safeguard the long-term future of the city centre building.
Henry Brothers, which has an office in Nottingham in the English Midlands, will employ a number of local people including apprentices, ploughing money back into the local economy.
"We are very pleased to be starting work on this scheme to refurbish Wolverhampton Central police station, as we take great pride in working alongside our blue light clients," said Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Construction.
"The creation of a more modern police station will provide improved facilities for West Midlands Police and allow officers to better service the local community."
'Enhancing service'
The building — which has not been updated since it opened in 1992 — requires substantial essential work including replacing windows, installing a new heating/cooling system and repairing leaks and damp.
The project will also involve creating new victim care rooms, insulating the building, installing solar panels and LED lighting to reduce energy and more.
Safety and security systems will be upgraded while an employee café will be built on site and managed by a local non-profit organisation.
The aim is for the charity to provide training and work for people who have historically been excluded from the local job market, including people who have experienced homelessness, disabled people and people with no formal qualifications.
"By modernising the police station, we are not only improving working conditions for our hard-working police officers and staff but also enhancing the service we provide to victims of crime and the wider community," said Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster.
"This investment is part of my wider strategy, to ensure that West Midlands Police is fit for policing in the 21st century, with an accessible, reassuring and visible police presence, based in the communities it serves — preventing and tackling crime and keeping people, families, businesses and local communities safe and secure."
History
Henry Brothers began in 1976 when Jim Henry set up a construction business focusing on small-scale construction projects within the Magherafelt area of Northern Ireland.
Following a series of acquisitions in the 1990s, the firm is now recognised as a leading construction company with more than 200 direct employees based across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.
Henry Brothers looks for opportunities where it can add value for its clients and to their local communities.
This approach has established the firm as specialists in the education, defence, blue light, accommodation, commercial and healthcare sectors.
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