ROYALTY came to Dorset yesterday (October 6) to officially open a new flagship police headquarters in the county.

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne was given a tour of the new three-storey building and memorial garden on October 6.

The new building was built alongside the former headquarters in Winfrith, which Dorset Police said had “outlived” its temporary purpose.

The former building will be demolished once the force moves into its new headquarters.

Princess Anne met local dignitaries and the teams responsible for delivering the building on time in her visit before speaking with award winning officers, staff and volunteers.

Her Royal Highness unveiling the new plaque Picture: Dorset Police

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Chief constable Amanda Pearson said it was an honour to welcome the Princess Royal

“This was an important historical moment for the force, and I was delighted to be able to introduce her to the fantastic team who made it happen, alongside our hardworking officers, staff and volunteers,” she said.

Princess Anne meeting contact officer Kim Nixon Picture: Dorset Police

“It’s of upmost importance that our officers, staff and volunteers have a working environment that supports them with their contribution to keeping people safe. Our former HQ building had served us well for 60 years but had well and truly outlived its original temporary purpose.

“We are proud of our new headquarters, which will provide value for money and long-term savings enabling us to invest in frontline policing to tackle the things that matter most to our communities.

Special constable Terry Treloar meeting royalty Picture: Dorset Police

“Sustainability was at the forefront of its design – we now generate an amount of our own electricity by the use of solar panels and our water usage is much reduced.”

The new headquarters has been awarded a ‘good’ BREEAM rating – an internationally renowned rating used to specify and measure the sustainability performance of buildings, ensuring that projects meet sustainability goals and continue to perform optimally over time.

Police support volunteer Barry Barnes meeting the Princess Royal Picture: Dorset Police

David Sidwick, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner said people in Dorset have “repeatedly expressed” they want to feel more connected to their police force and see increased visibility.

“Improvements to our estate, the ongoing recruitment of extra officers, successful roll-out of community contact points and two mobile police stations are enabling us to better meet those expectations.

“The building of the new headquarters is just part of the wider estates programme, which aims to future proof our estate and deliver fit-for-purpose facilities for officers, staff, volunteers and our communities.

Sergeant Holly Sadler with Princess Anne Picture: Dorset Police

“The funding for the modernisation, including the building of our new headquarters, comes from entirely independent funding sources.

“It does not include precept funding, has no impact on the number of police officers and staff or our ongoing commitment to maintaining officer numbers recruited as part of the national Uplift programme or the ongoing neighbourhood policing guarantee, which aims to increase resources in our neighbourhood policing teams.”

Chief constable Amanda Pearson and Dorset’s police and crime commissioner David Sidwick with the Princess Royal Picture: Dorset Police

Richard Poulter, managing director for Willmott Dixon’s Construction South region, said: “Having The Princess Royal officially open the Dorset Police Headquarters is an incredible honour and we were delighted to be invited to join Dorset Police for the occasion.

“This isn’t just a building – it’s a sustainable foundation for community safety that will serve Dorset for decades. We are proud to have played a part in delivering another brilliant, environmentally responsible building.”