HUNDREDS of police officers are to relocate to Glasgow's East End.

A new Police Scotland HQ is being completed at Dalmarnock, on the banks of the Clyde, and will become a second home for nearly 1100 officers and staff.

The finishing touches are being put to the Riverside East development, an eye catching £24 million five-storey office building in French Street.

It's another visible reminder of the regeneration which is helping to transform the East End.

Clyde Gateway chiefs have been given a 20-year remit to tackle the deprivation that's blighted the area for decades, and to drive forward a programme of economic change which will transform lives.

The new Police Scotland hub, which will replace the ageing Pitt Street complex in the city centre, is a prime example of the ongoing work.

Just last summer, the then Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signalled the start of construction when she turned over the first sod of soil on what had been a vacant and derelict site.

Seventeen months later and construction has been completed. Internal work, including the installation of IT equipment is now underway to enable officers and staff to start moving in a few months time.

The development is also testament to the hard work of Ian Manson, Clyde Gateway's chief executive. He said: "This has been the biggest single construction project we have undertaken so far and is a very clear demonstration of our capabilities and ambitions.

"The transformation of the East End communities is being done on a scale, at a level and over an extended timescale never seen before.

"We have been working away quietly and effectively these past few years but now that the Commonwealth Games have come and gone, it is our task to ensure the continued and sustainable delivery of the legacy promised to local people.

"Riverside East has already had a big impact, with 50 local people being provided with jobs, training or work experience during the construction phase.

"The local spin-offs from Police Scotland are already being felt some six months ahead of the completion of their move here. For instance, two new takeaway shops have recently opened while a number of other shops and businesses are gearing up to deal with the increase in footfall."

Riverside East is part of a giant jigsaw being put together by Mr Manson and his team, who plan to bring huge swathes of derelict land back into economic use.

He explained: "It was a very deliberate effort to develop this particular site."

The same blueprint was used even before Glasgow got the go-ahead to stage the Commonwealth Games, which triggered hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the East End, and especially Dalmarnock, where the Athletes' Village was built along with the Emirates Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk