Police buy Norfolk private school for £3.35m to train recruits

Norfolk Police bought the site and intends to open the new training facility in the summer

A police force has bought the site of a former private school for £3.35m to turn it into a training facility.

Norfolk police purchased Hethersett Old Hall School at the end of February and aims to open it in August.

The former 111-pupil school closed before term started last year after failing to attract enough pupils.

Norfolk's police and crime commissioner, Lorne Green, said: "The current [training] provision at police headquarters is inadequate."

Mr Green said the facility would "help to continue to deliver a modern and innovative service for the county".

The force said the training centre would provide accommodation, 29 classrooms, offices for police trainers and a gym.

The site also has an existing nursery which Norfolk Constabulary said it would aim to keep in use.

The Hethersett Old Hall School closed in August last year

Chief constable Simon Bailey said: "Our existing training facilities will simply be unable to deliver the best training for the 600-plus new recruits forecast to join over the next three years."

The force said the facility had been funded through "capital investment" and would have "no additional burden on the taxpayer".