Ground broken for $40m police post at Ian Fleming Airport

Ground was broken last Friday for the construction of a $40-million police post at the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, St Mary, to replace a container used for several years and is now in a state of disrepair.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Matthew Samuda, who brought remarks, said the post being replaced was inadequate, and commended the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) for funding the project.

“I must commend the Airports Authority of Jamaica for leading this $40m project, a single-storey, 2,000-square-foot building at the Ian Fleming Airport,” Samuda said.

Work on the new facility is slated to be completed by October this year, with the building to contain several areas, such as reception, a guardroom, records room, two holding cells, washroom, an interview room, superintendent’s office, processing area, kitchenette and lunchroom, among others.

“This development is in tandem with the ministry’s transformational agenda to break the back and cycle of crime by strengthening the police force and the entire security apparatus of Jamaica,” Samuda noted.

MODERN FACILITIES

He said the project is part of the Government’s Rebuild, Overall and Construct project, aimed at converting police stations into modern facilities, under which some $20 billion was spent last year.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Clifford Blake, who represented Commissioner of Police Major General Anthony Anderson, hailed the proposed new facility, saying it was important that the police be given the right tools in order to maintain maximum productivity.

“An investment in buildings and vehicles is an investment in the security of Jamaica,” DCP Blake said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague welcomed the groundbreaking for the police post, noting the poor condition of the container that was being used.

“The container is falling apart; it is a disgrace,” Montague said. He disclosed that the facility is to house 24 police officers.

While thanking the AAJ for the police post, he took the opportunity to ask them to also furnish it and provide a motor car for the officers to use.