ALLOA'S police station will relocate to the council building later this month to enable partnership working and reduce costs.

The public service counter at the current police station at Mar Place will permanently close at 6pm on Sunday, October 24.

It will re-open at Kilncraigs, Clackmannanshire Council's headquarters on Greenside Street, at 8am the next day with a separate, dedicated entrance for Police Scotland.

Chief Inspector Audrey Marsh, area commander for Clackmannanshire, said: “In February 2020 it was agreed that we would relocate from Alloa police station and start a new, exciting era of working more closely with Clackmannanshire Council in shared facilities, as part of Police Scotland’s long term estate strategy.

“Being based in the same building as the council will enable quicker, more effective partnership working and improved outcomes for residents, while also reducing the long term costs of maintaining ageing public sector buildings in the area.”

The station will be fully accessible and open seven days a week from 8am to 6pm while the old Mar Place premises will be marketed for sale once fully decommissioned.

CI Marsh added: “We remain committed to providing a high quality service to the community and the move to Kincraigs will not change this.

“The public will continue to receive the same level of service they have experienced at Mar Place.

“Our officers and staff are looking forward to this new chapter, working in modern, efficient offices and with our key local authority and third sector partners, to protect the diverse communities of Clackmannanshire.”

The move has been in the making for a couple of years with elected representatives approving the idea in October 2019 and the Scottish Police Authority giving the nod in February 2020.

It will see the local authority leasing out part of the first floor of the building and works are ongoing to transform the space for police use.

There will be a separate and self-contained police reception, secure offices and a shared area for partnership working.

The contract to enable the move was finalised earlier this summer and was welcomed by council leader Councillor Ellen Forson.

The council leader said this week: “We welcome the opening of the new police station within Kilncraigs.

“It is the culmination of more than a year of planning and work.

“Being located in the same building as Police Scotland will transform the way we work together to benefit our communities.

“It will enable us to take a more coordinated and preventative approach and provide earlier interventions for our most vulnerable citizens."