Six police stations to be rehabilitated

Six police stations across the island are to be rehabilitated under the European Union (EU)-funded Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) at a cost of approximately $235 million.

They include Denham Town (Kingston) at a cost of $36.81 million; Franklyn Town (Kingston), $42.48 million; Lionel Town (Clarendon), $36.87 million; Mount Salem (St James), $42.53 million; Four Paths (Clarendon), $37.86 million; and Adelphi (St James), $38.44 million.

Details were provided at Thursday’s launch of the PRP police station rehabilitation project, at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in New Kingston.

The project will be implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), which undertakes activities of the PRP, and will take place during the next four months.

The scope of the work includes the renovation of holding cells, general offices, barracks, kitchens and administrative areas. JSIF and the JCF have partnered on previous occasions to rehabilitate the Tivoli Gardens Police Post, Hunts Bay, Half-Way Tree, Matilda’s Corner, Allman Town, Cross Roads and Mountain View stations, all of which are located in Kingston and St Andrew. The Spanish Town Police Station was also renovated.

Speaking during the launch held on Thursday at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, Garfield Taylor, deputy superintendent of police, in charge of property management and maintenance, said work on the new project is to begin February 1.

“The partnership between the JCF and JSIF has been seamless and harmonious because the value and vision of both entities echo and complement each other. This partnership must happen for communities to survive. The rehabilitation of these stations underscores JSIF’s commitment to collaboration, partnership and development in our nation. This is over $235 million and this investment will boost the morale of the police and will certainly spill over into communities,” Taylor said.

JSIF’s Managing Director Omar Sweeney highlighted that over 200 policemen and women, as well as citizens who use the stations, will benefit upon completion of this project, assuring that the teams that will execute the project will “move forward to get this competed, certainly within the next six months”.

European Union Ambassador to Jamaica Malgorzata Wasilewska said the aim is for Jamaica to achieve a secure, cohesive and just society.

“Working closely with our Jamaican partners, we identified the small but big-impact concrete steps that the communities, the ministries of Health and National Security told us were needed; and we designed activities to empower stakeholders who reside or work in some of the most vulnerable communities in Jamaica – so that they themselves can participate in their own desired change,” Wasilewska said.