DORSET'S Police and Crime Commissioner is in more than £15m of debt - with a significant proportion related to the construction of a new headquarters for Dorset Police. 

As of August 31, the long-term debt overseen by David Sidwick’s office is at £15.25m, with an interest ranging from 3.81 per cent to 3.99 per cent, an Echo FOI has revealed. 

The interest costs for 2024/25 are just under £592,000 and there are no other costs associated with the loans. 

But of the £15.25m long-term debt, some £14.5m is the associated costs of the new Dorset Police headquarters building in Winfrith, Mr Sidwick told the Echo. 

And this is expected to fall in the next year. 

Dorset Police's new HQDorset Police's new HQ

He said: “The debt relates to borrowing necessary to support improvements to buildings, including moving to newer more energy-efficient boilers and the installation of solar panels, and to support making policing more visible and connected, including upgrades to mobile policing technology and new vehicles. 

“However, the largest element of this, some £14.5m, is associated with the cost of the new Dorset Police headquarters building in Winfrith. 

“The old headquarters building was over 60 years old and given its poor state of repair was not suitable for refurbishment or upgrading. 

“Whilst the default position is to find cost-effective ways to continue to improve the police estate to better enable connectivity with the public and make every penny count for the people of Dorset, in the case of the old headquarters building, this simply was not possible.” 

The new headquarters replaced the ageing A10 building, close to the entrance of the site with a triangular, three storey modern building with central stairwells and a café close to the entrance. 

Additional security measures, including fencing and new bollards, and the retention of the memorial garden to the rear of the building were all included in the plans. 

Mr Sidwick added: “The new headquarters building will provide value for money and long-term savings by being more sustainable and therefore having lower running costs, and having far lower maintenance and repair costs, than the previous headquarters building.  

“The building also benefited the local economy by most of the construction labour used to deliver the new headquarters being provided within a 30-mile radius of Winfrith. 

“The debt is being well managed and subject to regular scrutiny through internal boards, and through the external independent audit committee and the Dorset police and crime panel. 

“The debt is set to fall in the next 12 months, and beyond, as scheduled payments against the loan are made.”