A JACOBEAN mansion near Hook, which is used to train top police officers, will be sold off as it’s not “economically viable”.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced the decision to sell the Bramshill House estate just before Christmas.

The Grade I-listed building has been home to the police staff college since 1960, and it is where senior officers have trained. The College of Policing, which this year replaced the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), leases the site from the Home Office.

As reported in The Gazette, the NPIA started a review in November 2011 to look into possible alternative uses for the site.

In a statement, a spokesman for the College of Policing said: “Bramshill has been a symbol of police leadership training for over 50 years, but it is not considered economically viable. The strength of British policing runs far deeper than that.

“The College of Policing will pursue its mission of safeguarding the public and supporting the fight against crime by ensuring professionalism in policing, regardless of what building it occupies.”

No date has been set for the closure of the site, but it is expected to take place by April 2014.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy, from the Association of Chief Police Officers, criticised the decision.

He said: “It is disappointing to see it being sold before the College of Policing has had a chance to establish its own training needs and clarify what will be the future training provision.”

The NPIA had 235 staff at Bramshill. The site has also been home to the European Police College (CEPOL) since 2006. It has 37 staff at Bramshill who help share best practice amongst police forces across the continent. Its future is currently under review by the European Commission.