IPSWICH police are set to remain at their station in the town centre despite a massive redevelopment of the area.Work to enable Ipswich police station to operate independently of Civic Centre, Ipswich Borough Council's soon-to-be demolished headquarters, is currently under way and Suffolk Constabulary says it is due to be completed by the spring.

IPSWICH police are set to remain at their station in the town centre despite a massive redevelopment of the area.

Work to enable Ipswich police station to operate independently of Civic Centre, Ipswich Borough Council's soon-to-be demolished headquarters, is currently under way and Suffolk Constabulary says it is due to be completed by the spring.

That effectively confirms that the town's main police station will remain in Elm Street for the foreseeable future - and that any redevelopment of the Civic Centre site will not be as extensive as first proposed.

The police station has always got its heating from the borough council's boiler and its electricity from a sub station built into the Civic Centre tower.

However that is due to be demolished after the council moves out in the middle of this year to its new offices in Russell Road and the ground floor of the Town Hall.

There were hopes that the police would join them in the Ipswich Village area of the town - but proposals to move to the Ipswich Buses site in Constantine Road were scuppered over fears of flooding.

Now the prospect of moving at all has receded because of the uncertainty over the future shape of policing in East Anglia and the prospect of Suffolk linking up with other forces to form a larger police unit.

The shape of police administration in Ipswich is likely to change radically once the new force structure is settled.

Police sources believe that one option is for there to be an administration centre in the town, a “custody centre” on the outskirts of town, probably near the A14, where suspects can be interviewed and held, and a customer service centre in the town centre where the public can report problems to the police, answer bail, or present documents.

However the future shape of policing in the town is far from settled, and the decision to install the current police station's own heating and electricity supply is a clear indication that nothing will be sorted out quickly.

The new heating and lighting will not extend to the former Crown Court building, which is part of the same building as the police station but which is likely to be included in the redevelopment of the area.

Police station fast facts:

Ipswich police station was opened in 1968 by then Home Secretary, and future prime minister, James Callaghan.

It replaced the previous town police station which was based in the bottom of the Town Hall.

Its electricity and heating comes from Civic Centre - at the time it was opened Ipswich Police were part of the old Ipswich County Borough.

Ipswich police became part of Suffolk Constabulary in 1974 - and now seem certain to merge with other East Anglian forces.

Source: Suffolk Police.