WORK has started on an ambitious £1.35 million project which will see Halesworth police station become home to a new state-of-the-art forensic crime centre.

WORK has started on an ambitious £1.35 million project which will see Halesworth police station become home to a new state-of-the-art forensic crime centre.

The scientific support unit will consist of a fingerprint bureau, a DNA profiling suite, a photographic section and a chemical laboratory, and will see 26 staff relocated there from Suffolk police's headquarters in Martlesham.

Under the plan, the top two floors of Halesworth police station will be turned into a hi-tech forensic centre, while the rest of the building will be completely refurbished.

Staff will have modern accommodation, including a user-friendly fingerprint bureau and a photographic suite capable of handling both digital and traditional photographic methods.

It is hoped the major redevelopment, which is due to be completed by September, will help improve the working environment at the station.

Jerry Goddard, assistant chief officer with Suffolk police, said the new facilities were badly-needed and would help staff best exploit the opportunities provided by modern forensic science.

"Everything about the project brings benefit to the force. The existing accommodation for scientific support at force headquarters is no longer suitable," he added.

"Various sections of the unit are on different floors of the building and the accommodation is simply not spacious enough for the hi-tech equipment available today and in the future.

"Halesworth police station, on the other hand, is a spacious building which is underused. This project will allow us to use Halesworth more effectively, providing scientific support staff with a spacious fully-integrated unit.

"It also gives an opportunity to refurbish the entire building, providing existing staff with a more pleasant working environment."

Mr Goddard also said the redevelopment demonstrated Suffolk police's long-term commitment to the area – with an increase in staff contributing to the local economy.