Sector:
Blue Light Services, Custodial
Location:
Melksham, Wiltshire
Contract Value:
£1,200,000
Project Length:
16 months
A Modern Facility for Wiltshire Police
Melksham Custody Suite
Melksham Custody Suite had served Wiltshire Police for years, but the building had fallen well behind current national standards. Without full CCTV coverage, no cell telephony and limited staff safety systems, it placed an unfair burden on custody officers and introduced unnecessary risk into daily operations.
Wiltshire Police had the opportunity to address it properly - this was their own site, free from the constraints that restrict PFI-managed buildings - and they chose to invest in getting it right.
The result is a fully refurbished facility equipped to meet NPEC standards, with integrated security, fire detection and electrical infrastructure installed across the custody suite and the office accommodation above.
Deliverables
Staff attack alarm system
Affray strips positioned throughout operational areas.
Timed cell protection
Guard panels safeguarding officers during welfare checks.
Cell communication system
Secure intercom and telephony direct to the charge desk.
Intelligent call management
Structured queuing to maintain control at busy charge desks.
Visual response indicators
LED follow-me indicators directing staff to active incidents.
Full CCTV coverage
Site-wide camera installation, including tamper-resistant cell cameras.
Fire alarm integration
Fire events linked to Tasicca® - triggering automatic CCTV display at the charge desk.
Air sampling detection
VESDA-based continuous air sampling within cells, in place of conventional ceiling detectors.
Electrical infrastructure
Armoured cabling, power, data, containment and UPS installation across both floors.
Our Approach
Designing a safer environment from the ground up
Before the refurbishment, Melksham presented significant gaps. Not all cells had CCTV. There was no telephony inside cells - only a buzzer - meaning custody officers were constantly on the move, responding to requests they could not screen or prioritise. Staff were being asked to enter cells without the information, or the protection, they needed.
Our in-house specialist security engineers, led by a dedicated site supervisor overseeing all trades, worked alongside the wider refurbishment team to deliver a fully integrated solution. At its core is the Tasicca® specialist custodial platform - providing staff attack alarm strips, LED follow-me indicators, guard panel protection for cell entry, cell intercoms with charge desk telephony, and structured call queuing to manage demand without audio overload.
Every element was chosen to reduce unnecessary movement, improve communication and give officers a clearer picture of what is happening across the suite at any given moment.
Our Approach
Integrated fire detection built for custody environments
Standard fire detection does not translate directly into a custody setting. Conventional ceiling-mounted detectors are routinely interfered with inside cells; they are also entirely passive - they notify, but they tell you nothing about what you are walking into.
At Melksham, we installed VESDA air sampling units within cells, continuously monitoring for smoke rather than relying on fixed point detection. More significantly, we integrated the fire alarm with the Tasicca® system, so that when a detector activates, the CCTV feed from that cell automatically appears at the charge desk. Officers can see exactly what is happening before they respond - whether to act immediately or to recognise a false alarm - removing the risk of staff attending blind.
This integration required careful coordination between our fire and security teams, and represents a meaningful advance over standard custody installations.
Behind the scenes
A selection of photos taken mid-project at Melksham.
Our Approach
Phased delivery at a live site
Melksham is not a standalone custody facility. The building also houses investigative teams on the upper floor, and those teams needed to remain operational throughout the refurbishment. Custody staff relocated to Wiltshire Police's Gable Cross facility in Swindon for the duration of works.
The project was delivered in two phases - upper floor first, allowing the office-based teams to move across in stages while work continued, then the custody suite below. Our electrical team worked out of hours to complete UPS installation, maintaining uninterrupted power supply to the building and ensuring no disruption to police staff throughout.
The logistics were demanding, with firm deadlines - slippage was not an option. We built our programme around those constraints and delivered to it.
Greg Aston — Ridge and Partners LLP
“I only have praise for the dedication and professionalism of the Tremorfa team and the Tasicca product.
They provided an exceptional soft landings training programme for the custody team prior to and after handover and have reacted well to post completion 'teething' issues and snags."
Our Approach
Infrastructure that supports long-term reliability
Behind the visible systems, the quality of the infrastructure matters. Armoured cabling, structured data runs and well-organised containment were installed throughout both floors.
Because we maintain what we install, how a building looks behind the scenes is not a secondary consideration. A well-ordered installation reduces fault-finding time, simplifies future works and protects the force's investment over time.
The Outcome
A facility that works for the people inside it
The suite now has full CCTV coverage, clear communication between cells and the charge desk, and the staff safety systems that officers in a custody environment should be able to rely on. The fire and security systems work together, not in parallel. Custody officers can carry out welfare checks with proper protection and respond to incidents with far better situational awareness than before.
Wiltshire Police chose to invest in a site they owned and could improve on their own terms. The outcome reflects that ambition with a modern, well-equipped facility aligned with national standards and designed to serve both staff and detainees safely for years to come.
See our specialist custodial systems in action
Our dedicated demonstration facility in Cardiff allows you to experience a full-scale custody environment, explore integrated CCTV, audio, intercom, staff safety and fire systems built on the Tasicca® platform, and understand exactly how they operate in real-world scenarios.
Whether you are planning a new facility, refurbishing an existing one, or reviewing your current provision, we invite you to visit, test and ask questions.
Arrange a visit: info@tremorfa.com
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