Operational Policing
Police Buildings
Information about the Home Office’s commitment to well-designed police buildings.
The government launched the Better Public Buildings initiative (new window) in October 2000. Ministers and departments were asked to work towards achieving a step change in the quality of building design in the public sector. Six years later the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport published Better Public Building (new window) to report on progress. It provides the arguments and the evidence that good design makes places work better and offers practical advice for creating new public building that is value for money, sustainable and a source of civic pride.
Most of the work that the Home Office does in implementing the initiative is with the police. As part of this work we published Design Quality for Police Buildings in 2005 to emphasise the importance of good design and provide guidance on how to achieve better designed police buildings.
We also published Building Design Policy to encourage the use of project enabling, design review, the design quality indicator (DQI) and appointment of design champions.
Following presentations at the police property service managers’ group AGM in October 2007 we published a report on the progress of the schemes that had been featured.
Following completion of the North Kent police station we commissioned this independent Post Occupancy Evaluation report to generate systematic feedback from users of the new building and to inform the procurement of future police buildings.
Police Buildings Design Guide
The Home Office Police Buildings Design Guide is in the process of revision, with the new document issued September 2007. At present there is a proposed list of contents and the following three chapters:
- Section 6 – Design Excellence
- Section 7 – External Design
- Section 12 – General Office Accommodation.
Police Buildings Design Guide - Custody
The Home Office and police property services managers' group (PPSMG) have jointly produced a two volume document, volume one of which is available on this website.
The Home Office Police Buildings Design Guide - Custody (volume one) provides advice on the general principles, with copyright being held by the Home Office. It is intended for use by police forces, their property managers, consultants and contractors to assist the building of new, safe, and fit-for-purpose facilities. It is a live document and will be updated as operational and other needs require.
Volume two of the design guide provides more detailed advice on best practice and the specification of police custody environments. As it is security classified as 'restricted', with copyright held by the PPSMG, it is not available on this website. However, you can request it from the relevant police property department.
