New Police Station Opens in Sligoville

A new police station has been opened in Sligoville, which will benefit some 10,000 residents of 20 communities in Eastern St. Catherine.
The new police station, which was officially opened on Wednesday (Nov. 14) by Minister of National Security, Derrick Smith, replaces the one destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It is situated on the complex of the recently opened Sligoville multi-purpose stadium and is a gift from the Peoples Republic of China.
Mr. Smith, in his address, said the government is grateful for the assistance from China.He said that some $400 million has been allocated to construct and repair police stations across the island and “when we note that one station alone in Falmouth took $220 million from that $400 million, we are indeed fortunate to have others assisting us.”
The National Security Minister informed that the government had set a five-year target to bring all police stations across the island to an “acceptable” standard and will be sourcing private sector partners in this endeavour. He noted that already, a sum of $100 million has been allocated to assist in repairing such facilities.
Acting Commissioner of Police (ACP), Jevene Bent, welcomed the new station, noting that such facilities “offered an excellent point of reference from which the constabulary can help and interact with citizens and for the rank and file to put into practice, effective community policing”.
She challenged the police personnel stationed there to be vigilant in their duties and be on the lookout for praedial thieves, as Sligoville is primarily a farming community. “Sligoville must be policed in a proactive manner. Don’t just sit at the station and wait for the citizens to come by. Go out into the communities, hear their concerns and help them,” she instructed.
ACP Bent also challenged residents to look after the station and to take responsibility to ensure that it remains in pristine condition.
For his part, Counsellor for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of China in Jamaica, Liyong Zhang, who represented Ambassador Chen JingHua at the opening ceremony, expressed his country’s pleasure in assisting the community and the country.
“We will do the best we can do in giving assistance to the Jamaican people in the future and we hope the police will enjoy their new facilities,” he said. Sub-officer in charge of the station, Sergeant Paul Roberts, told JIS News that the police personnel are pleased with the new facility. He noted that crime is down in the area, and the police will be strengthening its community policing strategy, to improve relations with citizens.