POLICE in Tavistock are preparing to move out of the town's 160-year-old station into a purpose-built new 'high tech' office on the edge of town, meeting today's modern standards.

The building at Abbey Rise was started in May and will be completed in January with officers set to move in by the end of the month.

It will be an historic and emotional day for Tavistock police but there are many advantages to the £1.7-million new modern, open plan facilities.

Tavistock Sergeant Dave Anning said: 'It is sad for us to be moving out of the town centre. It is the best location you can get for a police station but unfortunately since the station enquiry office was closed earlier in the year the advantage of that has been reduced.

'We are looking forward to having much better facilities with an open plan office upstairs, property stores, interview rooms, changing facilities, wide corridors and a disabled lift and toilets on both floors.

'The current building is a challenge for able-bodied people, let alone the disabled, so it will be a much better in terms of the working environment and projecting a professional image to the public.'

Sgt Anning said one of the staircases in the current station, built in 1847 by the Duke of Bedford and incorporating the old magistrates' court, was condemned on health and safety grounds.

He described the room where officers got changed as damp, cold, grim and scruffy with plasterboard falling off the walls.

'There is kit everywhere because the lockers we do have are not big enough, lots of stairs and tiny corridors. It is really not fit for modern policing standards.'

The new site at Abbey Rise, close to the town's fire station and the new Tavyside Health Centre, will have CCTV inside and out and is ideally located for 'keeping an eye' on the Riverside Car Park which has been the scene of anti-social behaviour.

The officer said with the conference facilities on site, there would be many more meetings with local organisations and agencies where problems with young people or families causing concern could be identified 'at an early stage'.

Some 35 officers will be based in the 'impressive' new building.

The existing station and Guildhall complex will be refurbished by the Devon Historic Buildings Trust which undertook a consultation exercise earlier in the year to find out how people would like to see it developed.

In the New Year there is expected to be some news on how the building will be used for the benefit of the community.