Granville poised to get state-of-the-art police station

WESTERN BUREAU:

The community of Granville in St James is poised to get a new, fully-equipped 50-man police station in the next financial year.

The new station, which will be constructed at the site of the old facility which was destroyed by fire in May 2021, will have additional land space, which was donated by Barnett Limited owned by prominent land developer Mark Kerr Jarrett.

“Yes, we are donating the lands and the Ministry of National Security has committed to building a state-of-the-art police centre,” Kerr Jarrett told The Gleaner yesterday.

“We are very excited that the station is going to be rebuilt and something more commensurate with the development of the Granville community and its environs. It has been a long time coming and we look forward to it,” he said.

Granville, located on the outskirts of Montego Bay, was once one of the most feared communities in the western region, producing 40 homicides annually. Residents are now enjoying a protracted period of peace.

Kerr Jarrett commended the police for their continued effort to keep the community safe, albeit without a physical facility from which to operate.

“The police have done a fantastic job in maintaining the safety of the citizens. Even without the station, the community has been very quiet, and the police and security forces have been diligent in the delivery of services,” he said.

Several residents, too, heaped praise on Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vernon Ellis, the police commander for St James, for his resolute stance in providing the policing support. This, they say, has sparked the reduction in serious crimes within recent times.

Councillor for the Granville division, the outspoken Michael Troupe, believes that, in addition to the sterling work by the police, the deaths, incarceration, and migration of many known violence producers have also contributed to the reduction of crime and violence in Granville.

“I am delighted that we will once again have a police facility in our community, so the residents won’t have to be spending money to go to Irwin (police post),” said Troupe. “It will also be community friendly, so the residents will feel comfortable to go and make complaints before disputes escalate into something deadly.”

Troupe says he has also requested that an office for justices of the peace to be considered for the new facility. He expressed delight that, based on information, the operations at the new facility will be directed by a deputy superintendent of police or someone of an even higher rank.