The move of the Principality’s New Police Headquarters is on. They are going back into their newly renovated and enlarged building on Rue Suffren Reymond. And it is a really big move. It can’t be completed in a single day. So the department will be closed exceptionally on January 19th and 22nd to allow the equipment to be moved and tested to make sure everything works perfectly following the move.
The headquarters for Monaco’s Police Force has not just undergone major renovations over the last two years to accommodate an increase in staff to beyond the old limit of 600. It has been raised to create major new space.
You might not even recognize the new building, with its red and white stripes and sunshades. Two of the three buildings that make up the complex have been raised by four storeys. There is even a “bridge” linking two of them above rue Louis Notari. In all the surface area has increased from 6,600sqm by not quite 50% to just short of 10,000 sqm.
The architect in charge of the operation is Gabriel Viora, who is also behind the Hotel de Paris renovations, the Venturi Showroom and the Villa Carmelha Project.
The new stories are made of wood, mainly for weight reasons. The budget for the expansion alone was €80 million, not counting the €15 million for the existing temporary building in front of Louis II stadium.
Increasing beyond 600 police officers
The new premises will make it possible to cope with the increase in staff numbers, with the historic threshold of 600 being exceeded. It will also accommodate services that were previously off-site, such as the police headquarters, the police academy and the internal intelligence division.
Reportedly up to 350 civil servants will be housed in the building, taking into account those who will spend time there as part of their duties, in particular those from the General Police Unit and the Living Environment Preservation Unit (UPCV).
Upgrades and modernizations
A new forensic laboratory designed with the assistance of the French national police has been added, as well as a crisis room, a new command centre with a modernized CCTV network (reportedly with three rows of eight screens linked to the 1080 cameras operating in the Principality) and a new space for drones on the roof. Upgrades and environmental considerations were made, including adding insulation, connecting the complex to the thalasso-thermal loop, installing 150 m² of solar panels and adding new charging stations.
Other components of the Police department will remain in other locations
The Protection of the Princely Family Division, the Maritime Police Division and the Protection, Surveillance and Intervention Group (GPSI), which is at the Villa Marcelle, and of course the police stations remain on other locations.
The lost property section too now has its own site.
A Museum dedicated to the history of the law enforcement agency will be able to display more and more objects and documents that until now have not been in full view.
Innovative temporary building
The Police are exiting a 2500 m² building which seemed to blossom overnight and was created to house them during renovations.
Deemed a technical triumph created in a confined space, the building was made by lifting wooden modules and mounting them on a large structure; was installed in a record time of five months.
No doubt even after the Police move back to Rue Suffren Reymond, the “temporary structure” will remain in service. Too good to lose …and having available space in Monaco is always hugely helpful.
