A FORMER police station has been put up for sale in a bid to modernise Essex Police's estate and save money.

The former police station in Civic Square, Tilbury closed to the public back in 2016 but is now being prepared to go on the market.

It has been used by detectives for the past few years but Essex Police are now looking to offload the building.

Since its closure, Essex Police say officer in their Local Policing Teams, Community Policing Teams and Town Centre Teams have continued to police Tilbury and are out on the streets every day protecting residents.

They added the Essex Police force continues to grow and expect the number of officers in Essex Police to exceed 3,500 by March 2022.

However, Essex Police say the police estate in Essex costs in the region of £10million a year in running costs but the buildings require around £30million of maintenance work to bring them up to standard.

Essex Police feel this money can be better invested in preventing and fighting crime by recruiting officers and investing in technology to help them do their job.

Therefore, in a programme to rationalise and modernise their estate, Essex Police are selling the former Tilbury police station.

District Commander for Thurrock, Chief Inspector Mark Barber, said: “Thurrock has already seen the investment in officers and staff and specifically the creation of the Town Centre Teams and the Community Safety Engagement Officers who continue to work closely with their communities.

“But it's important to remember that police officers protect and serve communities, secure justice for victims and catch and lock up criminals - not buildings.

"Every day your officers are out in Tilbury working hard to keep you safe - the sale of a police building won't change that, you will continue to see your local officers out and about doing what they do best - protecting you.”

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: “We need to invest in a modern police force where officers can spend more time out in their communities not in stations completing paperwork.

“By rationalising our estate and investing in technology we can give our officers the tools to log and register crimes while they are out and about.

"We can help them become more visible and deliver a better service to the public.”