Bath has welcomed the opening of a brand-new police station on Monmouth Street, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s policing after more than a decade without a full police station. The facility, described as a “modern, fit-for-purpose police station,” allows officers to operate from a single, central base for the first time in over ten years.
Superintendent Ronnie Lungu of Bath and North East Somerset expressed optimism about the station’s impact, stating: “From tackling antisocial behaviour and shoplifting to responding to wider city centre demands, having our teams working together from a central base will help us provide a more coordinated and effective response to the issues that matter to our communities.”
Bath’s previous full police station, located on Manvers Street, closed in 2015 as part of Avon and Somerset Police’s efforts to reduce costs by shutting stations across Bath and Bristol. Following its closure, some officers operated out of an enquiry desk inside Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Lewis House, while patrol teams were based on Lower Bristol Road. Suspects were taken to Keynsham custody facilities.
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The city, which has a population approaching 100,000, had been without a dedicated police station for the first time in 150 years, since the Manvers Street facility had been in use since the 1970s after replacing the older Orange Grove station from 1866.
Former Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens explained that maintaining the old station was expensive, costing £200,000 annually, and that selling it helped protect 140 police officer jobs. Nevertheless, calls for a new full police station persisted, supported by Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse among others.
In 2022, the enquiry desk in Lewis House was refurbished and branded as “Bath Police Station,” but the split between offices and patrol teams remained.
The new police station was secured by Mountstevens’ successor, Conservative Mark Shelford, a Bath local and former councillor, who purchased the previously disused Plymouth House in early 2024 for conversion. Shelford highlighted the importance of visible policing and easy access for the public in a key city that attracts over six million visitors annually.
Although Shelford left office soon after, his successor, Labour’s Clare Moody, oversaw the official opening of the new station last week. Moody emphasised that the facility was a direct response to local voices calling for visible and accessible policing.
Plymouth House has undergone extensive transformation, including new windows for security and energy efficiency, enclosed staircases, and enhanced perimeter fencing with secure gates to protect police vehicles. Signage now clearly identifies the building as Bath Police Station.
The public police enquiry desk at the new station opened on 12 August. Chief Constable Sarah Crew praised the station as a “significant investment in policing in Bath” that supports operational effectiveness and staff wellbeing. She affirmed the force’s commitment to Bath and to providing officers with the resources they need to deliver outstanding service.