SWINDON could have a £25million, purpose-built police headquarters up and running by August 2006.

Wiltshire Police Authority, which is responsible for monitoring the performance of policing in Swindon and across the county, has signed a Private Finance Initiative deal with developer Vinci, which will build and maintain the headquarters on land east of the A420 and rent it back to the force for 30 years.

The new station will house Swindon's entire specialist policing functions and signal the closure of Westlea police station and the shabby 1960s high-rise divisional headquarters in Fleming Way.

But it is hoped that a series of smaller so-called "police points" like those found at the Orbital Retail Park, in North Swindon, and the West Swindon District Centre, which opened last June, will provide the public with closer contact with local officers.

Wiltshire Police Authority member Brian Ford, who is also a Conservative councillor for Swindon Council representing Wroughton and Chiseldon, said: "The new facility will be cheaper to run than what we have at the moment. The PFI deal is going to save money in the long run and split sites are no good.

"Hopefully we can sell the Fleming Way site for a lot of money, but the main reasons for the move are operational.

"The Swindon police division patrols the motorway so the new site will mean better access to all directions of the borough it will also mean response times should improve.

"This is an exciting project and I await its completion eagerly."

The police authority will have to find about £1.5 million for site servicing costs and drainage improvements.

It is not yet known when the Fleming Way site will go on the market, nor how much it is expected to raise

Police authority clerk, Kieran Kilgallen, said: "The Fleming Way headquarters will be sold off to the highest bidder.

"Swindon is expanding and will continue to do so. The concept of policing is to have one central facility and then to have four satellite stations so the public get easier access to the things they need.

"These are exciting times. It's real coup for Swindon and the costs to the police authority will be less than the upkeep of the existing facilities."