Gov’t Completes 148 ‘Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct’ Projects Valued Over $2B

A total of 148 major renovation projects have been completed under the Ministry of National Security’s Project ‘Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct’ (ROC) at a cost of more than $2 billion.

This was disclosed by Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Delroy Simpson, who indicated that several others are at various stages of completion.

“We remain on track to complete the construction of nine police stations at a cost of $1.3 billion by the end of this [2024/25] financial year. Five new stations are currently going through the public investment process, and work has commenced on two mega facilities in the Westmoreland and the St. Catherine North Divisional Headquarters, cumulatively valuing $5 billion,” he said.

He was speaking during a session at the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Conference Centre in St. James on Monday (June 17).

Project ROC aims to improve the working conditions of the men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and boost the customer experience of persons visiting the police stations.

Additionally, the Government not only engaged the Consolidated Fund but also collaborated with the National Housing Trust (NHT) and Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) for additional capital expenditure.

The Chief Technical Director further noted that the Specialised Operations West facility in Montego Hills, St. James, is currently going through the public investment process, adding that this is slated to cost $10 billion.

“Another major investment is the construction of a state-of-the-art forensic pathology autopsy suite at a cost of $650 million, and this is now at 98 per cent completion. So, cumulatively, in terms of investment in the physical infrastructure, we are looking at $19.3 billion,” Mr. Simpson stated.

Regarding investments in technology, the Chief Technical Director said this has been very significant and was outlined in an e-policing strategy approved by Cabinet in 2018.

In terms of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance, Mr. Simpson said JamaicaEye was launched in 2018, and since then, some 900 cameras have been installed on the network.

“By the end of this financial year, another 350 cameras will be added, taking the total to over a thousand… an investment of $1.7 billion. Another area of focus is the traffic ticketing management system. The Ministry has introduced e-ticketing… [and] to date, some 3,850 sets of e-ticketing devises have been deployed in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and a new ticket information management system has been developed. The investment, again, is just over $1 billion,” he stated.

In addition, a station records management system has been implemented in 28 stations, so far, with the goal to eventually replace station diaries.

Mr. Simpson enphasised that the JCF has to communicate efficiently and securely, “because that is indispensable to effective policing, thus the communications network was another major area of focus”.

“We are talking about the radio network, the computer-aided dispatch system and the microwave system. A total of 63 sites are now connected to the microwave; the total investment there is $1.5 billion,” he stated.

Mr. Simpson further noted that an improved communication network has to be complemented by adequate mobility in order to bolster the responsiveness of the police.

“Some 1,437 vehicles, at a cost of just under $4.6 billion, have been delivered to the JCF, significantly boosting the Force’s response capabilities,” he added.