A new state-of-the-art police station has opened in Bridgewater, more than doubling the capacity of the ageing facility it replaces as Hobart’s northern suburbs continue to grow.
The $12.5 million complex will serve the Brighton municipality, Derwent Valley, Central Highlands and Southern Midlands regions.
“This is a really exciting day for the Bridgewater community,” Police Minister Felix Ellis said at the Friday opening.
The new station replaces a 40-year-old building constructed in 1981 and includes purpose-built soft interview rooms designed to better support vulnerable victims of crime.
“They’re much more comfortable, much more supportive, making sure they have a better experience when they come forward to police seeking help,” Ellis said.
“This is all part of our continued growth in law enforcement and investment in our people so that they can better serve the communities that they work in.”
“It’s also a much more comfortable facility for our police and it’s really set the benchmark for some of our new station builds, particularly our divisional headquarters.”
Tasmania Police Southern District Commander Jason Elmer described the new site as a major improvement.
“This new facility is very much welcome and a fantastic station,” he said.
The building features a conference room and a major incident room for managing emergencies – amenities the old station lacked.
“To have them here and not have to drive into the city for some of these things is really great,” Elmer said.
The station currently houses 52 uniformed officers and seven detectives, with space to grow as the region’s population increases.
Ellis said the investment was designed with the future firmly in mind.
“This is about making sure that law enforcement has a really bright future here at Bridgewater,” he said.
