Police Station in Westmoreland to Be Repaired

Police personnel attached to the Morgan’s Bridge Police Station in Grange Hill, Westmoreland, will be working in a more comfortable environment soon, as refurbishing of the facility is set to get underway during the July to September financial quarter.

Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting, made the announcement at a media briefing on Friday (July 6), following a tour of three police stations in the parish.

He said that the Ministry will be carrying out repairs on the building, which also houses the Grange Hill Post Office.

“We are going to go ahead and take the responsibility of repairing the roof and then doing the internal remedial work to correct the damage that has been done from that leaking roof – the electrical, replacing the ceiling tiles etcetera – and really try and make it a little more comfortable for the men and women serving at that station,” he stated.

Minister Bunting said that due to fiscal constraints, it is not anticipated that any new stations will be built this financial year, but every effort will be made to do some amount of repairs and maintenance of the facilities with the most pressing needs.

He said that despite the less than optimal working conditions at the facilities he visited, and limited resources, the law enforcement officers have been doing excellent work.

He congratulated the Superintendent in charge of Westmoreland, Dermot Lawrence, and the police personnel under his command, for “cracking the recent triple murder case in the parish”.

Three security guards were killed in the Negril area of the parish late June and arrests were made within a week of the crime.

Minister Bunting argued that while the police may not always be able to prevent crime, “when we do have these issues, if we can solve them, get the arrests, and get the convictions, then hopefully that will act as a deterrent to those, who may be thinking about committing crimes in the future. It will also bring some closure to the families of the victims, who can feel satisfied that some justice was done.”

Superintendent Lawrence, in his comments, said that all the police men and women in his division are all fully committed to working with the resources at their disposal to deliver the highest level of service to the parish.