City tops out £600m Salisbury Square justice quarter to speed fraud cases and support victims

The City of London Corporation has marked the topping out of its £600 million Salisbury Square justice quarter, a new complex designed to boost capacity in the criminal justice system and tackle fraud, economic crime and cyber crime at scale. The Salisbury Square justice quarter brings courts and policing together on one site and is expected to deliver productivity benefits of about £51 million a year. The City says the Salisbury Square justice quarter will mean faster outcomes for victims and greater confidence for businesses.

The flagship courts building will house 18 courtrooms dedicated to economic and cyber crime cases, consolidating the Square Mile’s existing civil and magistrates’ courts in a single, purpose-built facility. Next door, the development becomes the new headquarters of the City of London Police, which serves nationally as the National Lead Force for fraud.

Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman of the City Corporation, said the scheme would “deliver faster outcomes for victims, free up vital capacity across the courts, and strengthen public confidence in our ability to tackle economic crime”. He added: “Fraud is the most common crime in the UK, and it is growing in scale and complexity… this is about safeguarding the integrity of the UK’s financial sector and sending a clear message that fraudsters will be brought to justice.”

Alastair Moss, who chairs the City Corporation’s Capital Buildings Board, said Salisbury Square provides “dedicated space to house the City of London Police,” highlighting support that “does not come from the public purse” and investment linked to the force’s national role on fraud.

Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, called it “a world-class building at the forefront of a new generation of state-of-the-art courts,” adding that technology will help “deliver swifter justice for victims”.

The project team includes Eric Parry Architects with construction led by Mace Construct. Mace’s Rob Lemming said the building, designed with a 125-year lifespan, will

“stand as a civic landmark for generations to come”.

At a glance

• £600m investment by the City of London Corporation
• 18 specialist courtrooms for economic and cyber crime
• New HQ for City of London Police, National Lead Force for fraud
• £51m per year in productivity benefits expected
• Part of wider Fleet Street regeneration and Destination City growth strategy

The Salisbury Square justice quarter also adds a new commercial building with sustainable Grade A office space, the transformation of a listed building into a hospitality venue, and a new public square with greener routes and improved views to the spire of St Bride’s Church.

City of London Police underline their wider impact through public-private partnerships that last year saved the financial sector tens of millions of pounds in prevented losses. The force’s Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit has stopped hundreds of millions of pounds of fraud since its creation, and the Economic and Cyber Crime Academy has trained thousands of investigators nationwide. Inspectors have recently graded the force “outstanding” for crime recording and “good” for investigations and response.

For guidance on reporting and preventing fraud, official information is available here.

For more stories on London’s business, finance and the Square Mile, follow EyeOnLondon City for informed and independent reporting.

[Image Credit | City of London Police]

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