THE new multi-million-pound police investigation centre in Basingstoke has been officially opened by the Home Secretary on August 4.

Amber Rudd visited the state-of-the-art building based at Viables, which provides modern facilities and a central investigative function, featuring 36 custody cells and will accommodate more than 350 staff.

The £10 million facility is part of a Hampshire Constabularies strategy to create a central hub in the north of the county.

Ms Rudd was the guest of honour along with Basingstoke MP Maria Miller and police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Michael Lane to unveil a plaque to mark the opening of the building.

The home secretary said: "Police officers and staff in Hampshire and across the country do a fantastic job keeping us all safe.

"Crimes traditionally measured by the independent survey for England and Wales have fallen by more than a third since 2010.

“I am really pleased to open the new investigation centre in Basingstoke because by having modern facilities in the right locations means more officers’ time is spent where it matters most – on the frontline, doing vital work to reduce crime in our communities.”

The idea of the new investigation centre is to bring specialist officers, uniformed officers and non-police staff together to enable more efficient processing and investigation of detainees, allowing the police officers to return to active policing of the community more quickly.

At the official opening, Mrs Miller said: “I was very pleased to welcome the home secretary to Basingstoke to open this new Police Investigation Centre.

“It is a fantastic facility and it is great to see this major investment which will help the police to provide a more effective and efficient service to our local communities in Basingstoke and North Hampshire.”