Southampton's new Bitterne Police Station opened

A new police station has opened in Southampton amid plans for more centres across Hampshire.

The £430,000 response and patrol base in West End Road, Bitterne, will provide the force with "a visible footprint" on the eastern side of the city.

The previous police station in the area closed in 2016.

But the opening of the new one marks the start of a wider expansion for Hampshire Constabulary.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has confirmed she is looking at plans for more police stations across the county.

These could include a new £75,000 hub on the Isle of Wight and joint police and fire stations at Redbridge in Southampton and Cosham in Portsmouth - where plans for a new fire station have already been approved.

"There are other sites across Hampshire that I'm looking at too, where we want to increase the police footprint," Ms Jones said.

Earlier this month she confirmed that Gosport police station would no longer be sold and might be turned into a training facility for the force.

Ms Jones previously pledged to recruit 600 new police officers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Having more police officers means we need more lockers, more desks and more space to work. It's important that we have buildings in the right locations," she added.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said the new station in Bitterne would help prevent crime in the community.

"Calls distributed from our control room will come here for people in crisis who need our help. Our teams will respond from this building 24/7," he added.

Meanwhile, Southampton Central Police Investigation Centre is to close next March for a year to allow "much-needed upgrades".

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