A new £8 million sterling state-of-the-art police station opens today in Northern Ireland.
The station, which will house the headquarters of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Coleraine District Command Unit, is the first of its kind to be built in line with the recommendations of the Patten Report on police reform.
It will operate a satellite inquiry office for people calling at the station, handling much of the day-to-day business.
The new facilities also include a new suite for dealing with child abuse and rape cases, a police training area and a 10-cell custody suite with a closed circuit television system. It will also house major incident rooms, specialist scenes of crime examination areas and a multi-function conference room.
Supt Dawson Cotton, the local district command unit's commander, said: "This station will help us deliver a valuable policing service to the people of Coleraine District and will also provide a first-class working environment for officers and staff here."
The chairman of the Policing Board in Northern Ireland, Professor Desmond Rea officially opened the new complex.
A commission on police reform chaired by former Hong Kong governor Chris
Patten recommended that police stations in Northern Ireland in the future should have the appearance of ordinary buildings with low perimeter walls and clear visibility from the street.
The Patten Report also recommended that reception areas for the public inside the stations should be made more welcoming.
PA