Transforming Blue Light Estates in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset… Posted on: October 9th, 2018 This year the UK’s first ever event focused on Blue Light Estates will take place in London – bringing together those at the forefront of estates, property and facilities management, including the Police, Ambulance and Fire & Rescue. One of those involved within the Blue Light Estates Development Conference are Devon & Cornwall Police and ahead of the event we hear exclusively from Laura Haynes, Head of Estates, about their future vision, their estates strategy and how firms can get involved within their projects: Q. What is your role within Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police? I lead the Estates Function, delivering the full range of investment, compliance, development, major capital projects and maintenance services across three counties, stretching 250 miles from the Isles of Scilly in West Cornwall to Highcliffe in East Dorset. Our combined annual revenue budget exceeds £21m and the capital budget depends on the scale and timing of current major project and development activity, expenditure this year’s is anticipated to total £18m. Q. How big is your estate portfolio? The joint estate consists of 211 properties dispersed across a diverse rural and urban landscape covering approximately 5000 square miles. These properties include traditional Police stations, specialist facilities, shared properties with other partners, and some remaining tenanted police houses. [emaillocker id=”71749″] Q. Your organisation is looking to deliver a safe and resilient service and connect communities. That obviously leads to collaboration and a more unified strategy for each OPCC and force. What challenges is that bringing and how are you overcoming them? Both forces currently look to work in collaboration with other organisations wherever this is considered viable for the partners involved. The most significant partnership are two PFI schemes completed over a decade ago at a cost of £104m with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service. In 2015, we also worked with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to deliver Cornwall’s first emergency services hub and the UK’s first Tri-Service Safety Officer. Andrew Hichens is a qualified on call firefighter with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), an emergency first responder for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and has also been trained in specific crime and disorder duties with Devon and Cornwall Police. Q. You’re currently looking at consolidating your existing estates to make them more agile and dynamic which will potentially lead to surplus land. What are your plans around the disposal or regeneration of these sites? At this stage there are no formal decisions on estate rationalisation. Any decisions will be made on a case by case basis. The aspiration is to reduce the overall cost of the estate function by 3% over the 10 year period. This could be achieved through a combination of actions: Smarter working Greener/ efficiency working Review of property storage Review of training facilities Review of call centres Q. One of the major schemes you’ve undertaken is the creation of the Middlemoor HQ Southside Development in Exeter. How does this fit into your long term unified strategy and how will it help meet the needs of residents within Cornwall, Devon and Dorset? The new hub will enable us to deliver the following: Be able to offer an outstanding local policing service Be more resilient and achieve long term sustainability Be able to invest to meet new and emerging threats Maximise our overall efficiency and effectiveness Define a new culture for a new era for policing Q. For those interested in getting involved in future projects such as the Middlemoor HQ Southside Development how would private sector firms register their interest, and what values and ethics are you looking for in companies looking to work with yourselves? In July 2011 the police authorities of Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire began the process of establishing a regional procurement team to undertake the process of procuring goods, services, or works on their behalf. The South West Police Procurement Department (SWPPD) was launched on 1 April 2012 and is now well established and embedded in all four forces. All procurement staff are employed by D&CP. The SWPPD undertakes all strategic sourcing for the four forces, fulfilling key roles such as strategic contract management and supplier relationship management. Each force retains responsibility for transactional purchasing, contract implementation and day-to-day supplier management. Q. Green technology was a key element of the Middlemoor HQ Southside Development – tell us a little about that and your commitment to delivering a sustainable and energy efficient estate? For us sustainability is about being able to demonstrate and complete the following within an estates context: Visionary leadership and strong governance Enhancing the work environment and impact on our staff Fostering environmental responsibility Embracing design excellence Creating an economically viable and resilient building for the long term Q. The Blue Light Estates Development Conference is set to bring together over 30 Blue Light organisations together along with 200 private and public-sector leaders to debate, discuss and share best practice. Why is it a key date in the industry calendar? The Policing Vision 2025, clearly outlines the external and internal pressures facing modern policing resulting from the combined impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review, changing demographics and the challenging impacts of more complex and innovative crime demand. Devon and Cornwall and Dorset Police are committed to delivering ‘transformative change across the whole of policing, working together collaboratively in the public interest’. This Conference provides an excellent opportunity to engage with other professionals, to share best practice and identify innovative working opportunities, so a definite date for the diary. The Blue Light Estates Development Conference takes place at Kensington Town Hall in London on the 20th November. Tickets can be purchased here. [/emaillocker]
