Reactivate plans for J$1.9b police facility, says Commish
Published:Tuesday | July 20, 2021 | 12:08 AMAlbert Ferguson/ - Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson wants the Government to reactivate its plan to create a J$1.9-billion mobile police complex in St James, which was put on hold because funds wee diverted to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anderson said that it was important for Government to revisit the plan because the proposed facility would be critical in the development of St James’ security capacity.
“It’s a process of getting perhaps 200 to 250 specially trained police officers, similar to what is in Kingston, the Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) unit, here in St James, that can respond very rapidly to evolving emerging or ongoing situations, locating them up in Montego Hills, right in the middle of the problem,” said Anderson, while speaking at the recent opening of the new Mt Salem Police Station, also in St James.
Anderson, a former chief of defence staff of the army, said the design and scope would allow for shared facilities and create a safe space for the community. A police station is currently at the location, but it has scope for major expansion.
“That’s part of the momentum that we would like to see get on board,” said Anderson, speaking to his overall vision for the proposed complex, which will be the first of its kind in western Jamaica.
The plan to establish the facility was first broached in 2018 by the National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who is member of parliament for St James North West, the constituency in which Montego Hills is located. It is also in proximity to Norwood, Salt Spring, and Glendevon.
The Mobile West Police Complex, as was originally proposed, comprised four three-storey dormitory blocks; a general administrative building, including a cafeteria; auditorium facilities,; conference rooms; and a multipurpose court.
This high-security facility is slated to have manned entry points, internal checkpoints, and security towers. The plan entailed having parking areas, storm drains, sewage collection, water-distribution networks, potable water systems, centralised water storage, and all the other amenities applicable to a modern purpose-built facility, Chang said at the time.
While not going into details, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who was also present for the opening of the Mt Salem Police Station, gave a commitment that the Government was fully committed to building out the existing Montego Hills location into the modern facility.