The new police investigation centre for King's Lynn and the Fens opens on Thursday.

From then those arrested will be held at questioned at the new centre, instead of police stations across West Norfolk and the Fens.

Officers from both the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire forces will use the new facility at Saddlebow, near the Norfolk Arena.

The Lynn centre has 24 cells. And eight-cell centre opened at Aylsham in late February and a 30-cell complex opened in Wymondham in April.

Later this year, a 30-cell centre is due to open at Great Yarmouth.

Police say the project reducing the amount of time police officers spend in custody dealing with suspects, freeing them up to spend more time policing the streets.

They have been built with a �87.5m Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal with Suffolk police, which will also see centres open at Martlesham and Bury St Edmunds.

The new investigation centres will host CCTV facilities and smart, clean cells. They will also offer forensic and photographic facilities, along with modern interview recording equipment.

Chief Insp Roger Wiltshire, head of custody for the six police investigation centres (PICs), said: 'The PICs will allow our specialist police officers, staff and investigators to question suspects and hold them in custody within a modern building resulting in a far more cost effective and seamless policing service.

'The opening of the Aylsham and Wymondham PICs has gone well and we are pleased with the way officers are starting to use the facilities.'

Police calculate 51,000 frontline officer hours will be saved through the increase in efficiency and through the realignment of some resources - a financial saving of more than �1m.