Medway Police Station

Medway Police Station is the main Kent Police facility for the Medway towns, located on Purser Way in Gillingham, Kent. It serves all Medway divisions and replaced several older local stations in Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Rainham.

Medway Police Station
Medway Police Station from Pier Road
Alternative names	Gillingham Police Station
General information
Status	Completed
Location	Gillingham, Kent, England
Address	Purser Way, Gillingham ME7 1NE
Town or city	Gillingham
Country	England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.397°N 0.548°E / 51.397; 0.548
Current tenants	Kent Police; Crown Prosecution Service (Medway & North Kent)
Year(s) built	2004 – 2006
Opened	13 March 2007
Cost	£21 million
Client	Kent Police
Owner	HICL Infrastructure Company
Height
Architectural	Contemporary modernist
Design and construction
Developer	HICL Infrastructure Company
Main contractor	Norwest Holst
Other information
Parking	On‑site secure parking for staff and visitors
Public transit access	Bus: 1, 102, 116, 176, 177, 183, 683 (Purser Way & Gillingham Gate stops) Train: Gillingham (Southeastern; Thameslink)
Website
https://www.kent.police.uk/area/your-area/kent/medway/

Establishment

The site was procured under a 30‑year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) concession to be the main Kent Police facility for the Medway towns, located on Purser Way in Gillingham, Kent.^[1][2][3] The station replaces four former stations:

• Gillingham Police Station (Pear Tree House, West Street, Gillingham)^[4]
• Chatham Police Station (The Brook, Chatham)^[5]
• Rochester Police Station (Cazeneuve Street, Rochester)^[6]
• Rainham Police Station (Birling Avenue, Rainham)^[7]

Infrastructure investor HICL reports that the project reached financial close in July 2004 and had a capital expenditure of £23 million, with construction by Norwest Holst (Vinci) completed in November 2006.^[8] The new station was formally opened in March 2007.^[9]

Location and access

Medway Police Station sits at the western end of Purser Way, off Pier Road in Gillingham.^[10] Nearby bus stops include “Purser Way”^[11] (about a 1–2 minute walk) and “Gillingham Gate” (about 4 minutes’ walk).^[12] These are served by local bus routes such as the 1, 101, 116, 176, 177 and 683 (among others).^[13] Gillingham railway station – on the Southeastern and Thameslink lines – is about a 10-minute walk away, providing frequent services to London and the Kent coast. (The Southeastern and Thameslink networks serve this area, with trains stopping at Gillingham station.)

Facilities

The station includes extensive custody and support facilities. Its custody suite is reported to have 40 cells – the largest in Kent – along with dedicated interview and medical rooms. (All 12 prosecutors and 4 associates of Kent’s Medway and North Kent Crown Prosecution Service moved into offices at the station in late 2008 to work closely with Kent Police.)^[14] The building also provides modern amenities such as holding cells and administrative offices, and has space for victim support; for example a special suite for vulnerable victims (with photo-ID and interview facilities) was part of the station’s design.^[15]

Recent developments

In November 2023, Medway’s police-led Community Safety Unit (funded by the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit) installed an anonymous knife-surrender bin outside the station. The week-long “Save a Life” campaign allowed residents to discard knives and bladed weapons anonymously, aiming to reduce violence.^[16] Earlier, in December 2008 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for Medway and North Kent moved its prosecution team into the Purser Way station, so that prosecutors and police could collaborate more closely on case preparation and charging decisions.^[14]