Vineyard Town Police Station Gets Facelift

Labour Day at the Vineyard Town Police Station, in South East St. Andrew, had a multi-cultural feel, with several South Koreans and Chinese nationals working alongside locals to give the facility a much needed facelift.

Approximately 50 persons could be seen on the grounds of the police station scraping, painting, nailing, lifting furniture, and cooking, among other activities, as they tried to accomplish as much of the work as possible on Labour Day (May 23).

Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Julian Robinson, who is also the Member of Parliament for the area, said the entire facility will be getting a facelift, and that the station should look almost brand new by the end of the day.

“In addition to the painting, there was some plumbing work that had to be done. We are installing a new (water) tank as well,” Mr. Robinson noted.

He said the station was chosen because of the amount of work that needed to be done.  “They had some old iron chairs which are being welded now. We are installing the water tank, because they had no facility for water when there is a water lock-off,” he told JIS News.

Other improvements include the addition of partitions for an investigation room for the detectives, and a room for the police officers who work at nights.

Minister Robinson commended the significant support for the project from members of the community and the youth groups, including the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), which is based on Deanery Road.

Director, IYF, Jamaica, Jin- Hee Kim, said participation in the project is part of the organisation’s community service outreach activity.  The IYF was able to pull significant support from the Korean community, the Korean Embassy and local youth clubs.

“Majority of the volunteers are from the South Korean community, because IYF is an international organization. Some Peruvians are here, Chinese are here, Americans are here together with the Jamaican people,” Mr. Kim said.

Inspector of Police at the Vineyard Town station, Janet Hylton, expressed appreciation for the improvement to the facility.

“The work that is being done today is really motivating to me and the staff. It really lifts our spirit. The station really needed the facelift and we are happy that the Member of Parliament along with the Korean Government have partnered to help us boost the morale of our staff,” Inspector Hylton said.

She noted that the community is also excited by what is happening. “They are ecstatic about the project. They have been yearning for this for a while. Now that we are having it, it is really good. It also lifts the spirit of the community,” she added.

Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Area 4, George Quallo, commended the persons participating in the project, noting that it was a tremendous effort, which is truly appreciated.

“It is lovely to see the type of partnership between civil society, our political representatives, coming out with the police to really give the station a facelift. It is really a lovely sight and I am really encouraged by it,” ACP Quallo said.

Among those participating in the project were incoming chairman of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo), Jin Won Kim, and Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Ambassador Kimo Lim.

Ambassador Lim said the Korean community wants to show friendship and love with Jamaica, so they provided some material for the project.

“All the Korean Embassy staff came here to do voluntary work today,” the Ambassador said.

In the meantime, Senior Manager, Facilities and Planning, International Youth Fellowship (IYF), Noel Esty, said that apart from helping the policemen to find a more habitable environment, the main idea was to get more people from the community involved.

“This is more than a Labour Day project. When McGregor Gardens join with us, when the other youth clubs join with us, then what happens is that youth come together and that is the primary objective,” he said.

Mr. Esty thanked partners, such as Edgechem, which provided the paints for the project.