The county crime commissioner has said the people of Southampton "have got nothing to worry about" as Central Police Station is set to close. 

Southampton's Investigation Centre in Southern Road will be closed this year putting its 36-cell custody block out of action for four months. 

Some staff are due to be moved out of the city to other areas, but critical members of policing staff will not be leaving the area. 

However, no closure date has been set.

READ MORE: Plans for Southampton Central Police Investigation Centre

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones told the Echo: "To reassure the public, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary will not be moving critical police response out of Southampton.

"The people of Southampton have got nothing to worry about, front line police officers that are a Southampton resource will be staying in Southampton."

The police council tax precept is set to rise in Hampshire with the commissioner pledging to recruit 50 more officers. 

A Safe City Strategic Assessment that was recently carried out in Southampton showed that crime increased by 7.4 per cent between 2019/20 and 2021/22 in almost every area of the city.

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