POLICE have begun their move into Hampshire's Fire and Rescue Service headquarters.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh and more than 100 other senior police staff are making the move to join their fire colleagues at their Eastleigh base this week.

This will see the police force’s strategic headquarters transfer to the Leigh Road site and is the first time in the country that a senior police team has moved into a joint headquarters with another blue light service.

The move is expected to save both forces about £600,000 a year by allowing the forces to share overheads.

The police will pay a service charge to the fire service for using the building, but that will be less than the force’s current overheads.

Police say this is part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s wider Estate Strategy to replace out of date police premises with modern fit for purpose buildings.

The move contributes to savings of up to three million pounds which it says will help protect front line policing.

Hampshire Constabulary has been selling off building stock across the county as it tries to impose £25m in Government cuts and last year sold off its Chandler’s Ford base at Alpha Park.

Police staff are coming from the West Hill site, in Romsey Road, Winchester while back office staff will move to Mottisfont Court in Tower Street, Winchester which remains the constabulary’s operational headquarters after it was bought from Hampshire County Council for £1.5m in 2012.