Image: City of Abbotsford / Inspector Tom Chesley, Mayor Ross Siemens, Chief Colin Watson and Deputy Chief Constable Dan Culbertson check out work underway at the new Abbotsford Police Department headquarters.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Abbotsford PD HQ construction

Construction of new Abbotsford PD headquarters inches closer to completion; new facility could be ready by early 2025

May 1, 2024 | 1:37 PM

ABBOTSFORD — Roughly 18 months after the City broke ground on its new police headquarters, construction of the new Abbotsford Police Department headquarters hit a new milestone this past week.

The City wrote in a statement that construction crews recently conducted the final pour of concrete for the roof, meaning work can now proceed with the interior of the building.

Wednesday, April 24, Mayor Siemens, AbbyPD Chief Colin Watson, contractors from Unitech Construction and Stantec Architecture and city staff toured the construction site to get an inside look at how the building is progressing.

Construction got underway in fall 2022 with an estimated time frame of 30 months approximately, with limited construction done on weekends and holidays. Phase 1, the expansion of the current headquarters, had an expected time frame of September 2022 to fall 2023. The current site will be renovated so it integrates seamlessly with the expansion, which will take place from fall 2023 to winter 2024, possibly into early 2025.

“The new building is a long time coming,” the city wrote in a statement on its website. “The City of Abbotsford is growing and changing every year. To ensure our local Abbotsford Police Department can continue to grow with our community and still meet their goal of making Abbotsford the safest city in BC, the City is currently building a new AbbyPD headquarters.”

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The existing headquarters building was originally constructed in 1988, at a time when the Matsqui Police Department’s 74 officers served a community of 58,000 residents.

Image: City of Abbotsford / The current AbbyPD headquarters from about March 1989.

Today, AbbyPD employs more than 350 personnel in a growing city of more than 160,000.

The new building nearly quadruples the floor space of the current two-storey headquarters from about 38,000 square feet to 146,000 square feet. The new four-storey building will ensure that AbbyPD can meet current detention standards, provide additional office areas, new washrooms and change rooms, as well as additional parking. The building is also being constructed with the future in mind, ensuring that AbbyPD can grow into the space as our community continues to grow. You can learn more about the project here.

“Every day we hear stories of our AbbyPD officers and staff going above and beyond to serve our community and we are grateful for all they do,” the City wrote on its website. “AbbyPD has a vision of ‘strength in community’ and from their new upgraded headquarters, both officers and staff will be better equipped to safely and effectively carry out their duties and make our community stronger.”