Innovative Merseyside Police Campus wins development award

The development of three properties as part of the Merseyside Police Campus in Liverpool was announced as the Commercial Development Winner at this year’s Secured by Design (SBD) awards.

Built on formerly open wasteland, the Merseyside Police Campus, comprised of the new Rose Hill Headquarters and the refurbished St. Anne Street Police Station, has emerged as an exemplar of modern policing infrastructure. This two-phase development project, supported by Estate Strategy Operational Support Manager Inspector Chris Burnham and the recently retired Sergeant Frank Stott of Merseyside’s Design Out Crime Unit (DOCU), has not only transformed the area but also significantly reduced crime, earning both a Secured by Design Commercial Gold Award and winning the Commercial Development Award at the 2024 SBD awards.

From 2016, the DOCU and Estates Strategy Team engaged with the developer, Wilmott Dixon, to address the outdated 1970s Canning Place headquarters. Initial refurbishment plans were shelved in favour of a new, ambitious two-phase development at Rose Hill. This strategic move promised savings of £380,000 annually in running costs.

With the expertise of Wilmott Dixon, architects Ryder Architecture, and Liverpool City Council, the team developed a Secured by Design masterplan for Rose Hill. The result was a meticulously planned 137,000 sq. ft campus, featuring a four-storey main building, a single-storey annex, and various communal spaces designed to accommodate 1,175 staff.

The project was not without its challenges. Early construction phases faced concerns from local residents around the use of former open wasteland. Inspector Burnham and Sergeant Stott played pivotal roles in mediating with the community, emphasising the benefits of reduced anti-social behaviour and increased police presence.

A number of technical issues were swiftly addressed thanks to the collaborative efforts of the DOCU, Estates Strategy Team, Wilmott Dixon, and ISG, the developers of the St. Anne Street site. This partnership ensured that the project stayed on course and met the high standards set out in the original plan.

Since the completion of Rose Hill in 2021 and the St. Anne Street refurbishment in 2023, the Merseyside Police Campus has become a hub of security and community engagement.

Both sites now share advanced facilities including a canteen, gymnasium and outdoor running track, enhancing the working environment for officers and staff. The incorporation of sustainable features, such as solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, underscores the campus’ commitment to environmental responsibility, reducing running costs by an estimated 18%.

The Merseyside Police Campus stands as the most modern and innovative policing facility in the UK, setting a benchmark for future developments. Not only has it revitalised the local area, but it has also fostered stronger relationships between senior officers and front-line staff.

The shared functions and security measures between Rose Hill and St. Anne Street ensure seamless operational support. The campus is a testament to what can be achieved through visionary planning and effective collaboration, providing a safe and efficient environment for both police personnel and the community they serve.

Chris and Frank were presented with the award by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives CEO Guy Ferguson and South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lauren Poultney, the head of profession for police Designing Out Crime Officers.

What is Secured by Design?

Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

SBD’s product based accreditation scheme – the Police Preferred Specification – provides a recognised standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime.

There are currently many hundreds of companies producing thousands of attack resistant crime prevention products, across 30 different crime categories, which have achieved Police Preferred Specification.

Improved security

Developers around the UK can achieve SBD awards for incorporating crime prevention measures and techniques into their developments in all kinds of building sectors, such as residential, education, health, transport, commercial, retail, sport and leisure. Indeed, SBD can be used as evidence to discharge third-party obligations under Part Q of Schedule 1 (Security) to the English Building Regulations, the Scottish Building Standard 4.13 (Security) and Welsh Building Regulations Part Q (Security – Dwellings). These awards are gained by working with police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), who advise architects, developers and local authority planners long before construction begins – and continue to provide advice and guidance until the development is complete.

Academic and other research shows that improving standards of security in brand new and refurbished properties, helps deter and reduce crime. Reducing crime and the fear of crime has direct links to better physical and mental well-being, such as with regard to high volume crimes like domestic abuse.

The built environment influences the behaviour of people who work, live, socialise or simply pass through. SBD seeks to create environments where the law-abiding feel safe and secure whilst at the same time causing the criminal or anti-social to feel vulnerable to detection and thereby influence behaviour in a positive way. This continues to be a key objective for SBD.

Find out more about SBD Developers Awards here.

SBD Design Guides

SBD has produced a series of authoritative Design Guides to assist the building, design and construction industry to incorporate security into developments to comply with the Building Regulations in England, Scotland and Wales and meet the requirements of SBD.

These Design Guides, available to download for free at the SBD website, have been updated over the years to keep pace with changing patterns of criminal behaviour and advances in building design and new technology.

They are a valuable source of reference to architects, developers, self-builders, local authority planners and police officers and cover a range of building sectors, including residential, education, health, transport and commercial.

Police Designing Out Crime Officers

DOCOs provide specialist crime reduction advice to the public, businesses and colleagues about premises or property security. They also work with building developers, architects, and council planning departments regarding new developments and refurbishments, to ‘design out’ crimes like burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB) by providing advice on street lighting, building and street layout, entrances and exits – as well as preferred standards and specifications for doors, windows, and locks, under the Secured by Design initiative.

DOCOs are able to deliver site specific interventions required to help design out crime in areas that suffer disproportionately from acquisitive crime, based on local crime pattern analysis, police, local authority and community engagement and the collective knowledge and experience of how criminals behave.

DOCOs are specialist problem solvers, working every day to make a positive difference, changing lives for the better and helping people to be safe and secure in their homes.

Contact details for local DOCOs can be found here.