Plans for the installation of a Tardis-style police box in Watford town centre have been submitted.
The planning application the temporary structure has been added to the Watford Borough Council planning portal this week. If approved, it would be installed between Metro Bank and the entrance to atria Watford at the High Street/Queen’s Road junction.
The area has apparently been identified as a “hotspot” for crime and anti-social behaviour, with regular reports of thefts and violent crime.
“The temporary installation of the police box is a part of a pilot project initiated by Hertfordshire Constabulary to reduce crime in hotspot areas,” the planning statement added.
“If proven successful, installation in additional locations and ‘permanent’ structures may be further explored.”
The initial pilot programme is set to last up to 18-months.
Documents added that a 35 per cent reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour in the immediate area has been attributed to “a similar police box”, installed in Boscombe, Dorset.
Offenders apparently “would not know if there was a police officer inside the box and therefore would be less likely to carry out a crime”.
The proposal added that installing the box “reasserts the profile of constabulary in the town, in the wake of the closure of Shady Lane police station”.
Inside the box, there would be a small desk with chairs on opposite sides as well as a direct phone line to the control room and a defibrillator.
The structure is already under construction and would be installed “immediately” if Watford Borough Council approves the application.
Drawings submitted as part of the proposal appear to show a police box based on the same distinctive 1929 Metropolitan Police design the TARDIS from Doctor Who and the Boscombe box are modelled on.
As well as its role in crime-prevention, the box in Boscombe – commonly referred to as a ‘TARDIS’ – proved popular with Doctor Who fans.
Multiple people apparently turned up the unveiling wearing fancy dress in 2014 and it has been listed as a “tourist attraction” on Google Maps.
