Police Scotland to create two policing hubs to serve Aberdeen city

Police Scotland is to create two response policing hubs in Aberdeen to replace four smaller stations, which are to be closed.

The new response hubs will be located at Woodhill House, in an annexe building next to the building’s main reception, and at the existing police station at Nigg.

Police Scotland announced on 14 December, 2023 proposals to close police stations across the country as part of their estate transformation strategy.

Public consultations were opened thereafter on the proposed disposal of Rosemount, Mastrick, Whinhill, Torry and Seaton police stations. Following consultation, Seaton was declared as surplus and was disposed of earlier this year.

Plans have now been approved to dispose of the four other stations consulted on with officers based at Rosemount, Mastrick and Whinhill relocating to Woodhill House and officers in Torry moving to Nigg police station by the top of Wellington Road.

The consultations were launched on 14 December 2023 and concluded on 18 February 2024 and outcome reports for each building are now available on our Engagement Hub.

Speaking about the estate changes, Divisional Commander for the North East, Chief Superintendent Graeme Mackie said: “Over the last year we have been reviewing the buildings we have across the Aberdeen area and how we use them.

"We considered where we would want to locate our people to be as effective and efficient as possible. This work has allowed us to identify buildings which we believe are no longer required.

“We recognise that having lots of small teams spread across the city has restricted information sharing, learning and also impacted on the wellbeing of our staff.

“Creating larger hubs at Woodhill House and Nigg, will create a more efficient and effective policing service for our communities.

"Officers will benefit from being part of larger teams, with greater pools of knowledge, experience and support, plus have access to additional resources including vehicles. Briefings, shift handovers, and supervision will also be much easier.

“Support functions transferred to the main building at Woodhill House in advance of the sale of Queen Street police station in 2022. Operational officers will benefit from being able to access these teams within the same site.

“Mastrick to Woodhill House is just over a mile away, as is the distance from the Rosemout base to Woodhill House. Whinhill is just over three miles away from Woodhill House. Having one fully utilised building instead of three within 3.5 miles of each other makes operational and financial sense.

“In the South of the city, Torry and Nigg police stations are less than two miles apart. Historically having two stations in each community was a benefit, but having two separate buildings has become less essential in today’s modern world.

"With investment in our fleet and digital device technology, plus significantly less traffic congestion in that area of the city, our officers are now fully mobile to be able to police the communities without the need for two physical bases in such close proximity to each other.

“Although I fully appreciate that the people of Rosemount, Mastrick, Torry and Ferryhill, may be concerned, I would reassure them that there is no change to policing services in the area.

"Disposing of a building does not mean there will be a withdrawal of service from the area. I would like to reassure them and the wider community that the local team will continue to be active, visible and accessible, and the public will continue to receive the same high level of service from local officers.

“I also realise that for many, the physical presence of a police station has provided reassurance and confidence to the local community over the years. However, our presence in communities is not defined by buildings but by the officers and staff who work in the area.

“All of our buildings incur running costs and ongoing repairs and maintenance and in Aberdeen city it makes sense to dispose of the four smaller buildings to create bigger policing teams at Nigg and Woodhill House that can serve our communities more effectively.

“We anticipate that officers currently based at Torry will move into Nigg later this year and thereafter the building at Torry will be disposed.

“The creation of the new hub at Woodhill House will take some time and we anticipate officers will start to move later in 2025. Until then, all officers will remain in their current stations.

“We are committed to maintaining a strong presence across Aberdeen and ensuring the safety of local communities.”