Two new officers welcomed to the Queanbeyan Police Station this past week could be the last to walk through the doors of the old station as recruits.
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Police are preparing to move into a temporary station in the neighbouring Morisset Building.
The present station will be knocked down to make way for a new one to be built on the same site.
A police spokesperson said the local cops were glad the station would remain in the justice precinct as it would resolve a lot of potential issues around prisoner custody.
The present location, next to the court house, allows for easy transfer between the two locations.
The construction project is expected to take about 18 months.
The new station is expected to house all the facilities needed to manage the requirements of the district’s rapidly growing population.
The NSW State Government looked into whether the police station could be co-located with the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council in potential new chambers on Crawford Street.
However, local police rejected this proposal.
Plans took a full three years to develop from the time conditions inside the current station were assessed as unsuitable and the initial commitment was made to rebuild.
Delays were largely due to issues selecting a site, including completing geotechnical studies of the present site where an old river bed has raised questions about its foundations.
The Labor candidate for Monaro, Bryce Wilson, welcomed the announcement of the designs, but criticised the time taken to develop the plans.
Filling the new station with adequately trained and resourced police was a continuing issue, a police spokesperson said. Even with a new station, local police would remain critically under-staffed.
Presently, $17 million is budgeted for the new station.
However, Member for Monaro and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said that, should more funds be required, he would work to find extra money.
Upgrading the court house had also been raised, Mr Barilaro said.
