Hampshire police will review their buildings to see which ones are fit for purpose since 40 per cent of them are at least 40 years old.

The Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has presented a plan to review the 153 police-owned buildings in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Of those, 46 are under freehold, and 87 are under leasehold. The estates accommodate 3,292 officers and 2,378 staff, totalling 5,670 people.

Some buildings offer space to other partners, such as the county council children’s services teams. At the same time, the force occupied 50 partner buildings.

A review was carried out in 2008-12 during the period of severe austerity leading to the disposal of stations across Hampshire including North Walls in Winchester and Station Road in Alresford. In Winchester officers moved to Mottisfont Court on the High Street, and to the fire station in Alresford.

The PCC report presented at the police and crime panel showed that 40 per cent of the buildings are at least 40 years old, making them unsafe, tired, and unfit for purpose.

The PCC Donna Jones said that she and her office inherited “very aged” and “not well looked after” buildings and she aims to bring buildings to standard and quality sites.

Ms Jones said: “We’re working through a whole review. This year, I’ve created a maintenance budget that has not been done previously. I inherited a very aged and not very well-looked-after estate.

“We’ve got a significant piece of work to do now to bring the quality and standard of existing buildings up to scratch, to offload those that we don’t think can be brought up to scratch, and then to onboard new sites where we have geographical gaps. We need to replace buildings, whether because they are just not large enough or because they are in too bad a state.

“We also need to create more swing space in the force because we can’t refurb and do what we need to do to all these police stations while the staff is working there. So, teams can relocate somewhere for six weeks or six months, depending on how long it takes."

However, Cllr David Podger, said that the report could have been “more detailed” and could have incorporated the "property portfolio.”

Cllr Podger said: “We could have a better idea of the investment, and I think we would welcome that because it’s a considerable investment. The asset-based itself could be given a little bit more transparency without compromising the sensitive commercial nature, perhaps.”

Cllr Simon Minas-Bond, representing Basingstoke and Deane Council, recognised the work of the PCC in updating the states’ condition, which was “dire” and “unpleasant”.

Cllr Minas-Bond said: “I just want to make public records that the situation in these estates that you inherited was dire, and you have underplayed it in this document.

“There is a plan going forward. It is something that makes me feel much more confident. You are clearly in control, and you understand the finances and the capital program going forward. At the same time, you are taking on board the challenges as far as a state but also visibility.

“I know how far and how challenging it has been in the three years that you’ve been in control and the differences; chalk and cheese, night and day.”

The plan will focus on improving buildings where policing will benefit the most. These will be “flexible modern buildings” that allow the office to reduce its carbon footprint, introduce more electric vehicle charge points, and be more economical.