Plans Announced for Extensive Renovation and Construction of Police Facilities in St. James
By: , March 18, 2024
Photo: Okoye Henry
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (second right), is joined by (from left) Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson; Commanding Officer, St. James Police Division, Senior Superintendent Vernon Ellis, and Head, Area One Police, Assistant Commissioner Clifford Chambers, during a tour of the Barnett Street Police Station in downtown Montego Bay on Saturday (March 16).
Photo: Okoye Henry
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (right), converses with Head of the Area One Police, Assistant Commissioner Clifford Chambers, during a tour of the Orange Street police facility in Montego Bay, St. James, on Saturday (March 16). The site is being proposed for the new Area One Police Headquarters.
Photo: Okoye Henry
Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, greets officer attached to the Area One Police Headquarters in Montego Bay, St. James, Seargeant Deanolin Scott, during a tour on Saturday (March 16).The Full Story
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, has announced plans for extensive renovation and construction of facilities for the St. James Police Division, during a tour of several stations on Saturday (March 16).
Key among the major engagements outlined by Dr. Chang is the refurbishment and upgrading of the police station in Montego Hills, at a projected cost of $7 million, to a new specialised operational base that will include a computer station and residency for nearly 300 officers.
He said the project is in the advanced planning stage, with ground slated to be broken by the end of fiscal year 2024/25.
“So that’s an important addition to the facility in this region because, currently, again, we have to rent space; and when you get to the winter season when we need more police officers, you run into problems with accommodations,” Dr. Chang stated.
“The area is growing and we have to ensure that the [police] facilities and services were also growing as they should,” he added.
Dr. Chang further advised that plans are underway for the rebuilding of the Amity Hall Police Station, which is expected to begin near the end of the upcoming financial year.
The tour also included an inspection of the Police Area One Headquarters on Sewell Avenue in Montego Bay, which Minister Chang described as being in a deplorable condition.
He advised of plans to relocate the headquarters to a new facility on Orange Street, which will be a medium-term project.
In the short term, however, Dr. Chang suggested the possibility of relocating the Area One Headquarters to Megabyte Drive in Fairfield, citing the urgent need to move the operations from the deteriorating Sewell Avenue location.
“High crime and violence demand that we have strong policing; but ultimately, in peacetimes, it is a community service activity. So we are ensuring that all the facilities meet at least the minimum standards of a professional service centre, and that’s what we’re doing,” he outlined.
Other facilities slated for upgrades include the barracks at Freeport Police Station, which can accommodate about 200 officers, and the Barnett Street police station, which serves downtown Montego Bay and, according to the Minister, requires refurbishing to maintain stability in the area.
He pointed out that the police station at Coral Gardens, which covers several high-density residential and tourist areas, will also undergo upgrades to reflect the new direction of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) towards digitisation and advancement.
Meanwhile, Dr. Chang advised that rebuilding of the police station in Granville is well advanced, with designs in place and planning underway.
Additionally, he said the facility at Montpellier is being developed for police training and contribution to the overall transformation of the JCF in the parish.