Work Under Way on Hopewell Police Station

Residents of Hopewell and surrounding communities in Hanover are welcoming the start of work on the establishment of a police station, which will bring improved security services to the area.

Some 20 communities will benefit from the facility, which is expected to be operational before the start of the new financial year in April, said Commanding Officer for the parish, Superintendent Sharon Beeput.

Property owned by the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) is being renovated to house the police station.

In her report at the monthly meeting of the Corporation in Lucea on January 12, Superintendent Beeput said that work commenced on the land and building at the beginning of January.

She said that members of the Hopewell community were enthused with the progress of work on the site and have been visiting the location and offering word of encouragement to the work crew.

Speaking with JIS News recently, Chairman of the HMC and Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Sheridan Samuels, informed that the Ministry of National Security has been given a 50-year leasehold on the property in Hopewell at a rate of $1,000 per annum.

“The Corporation is foregoing revenue and is really charging peppercorn rent in order to facilitate the establishment of the station,” he noted.

While acknowledging the five-kilometre proximity of the Sandy Bay Police Station, Mayor Samuels said that Hopewell needs its own station.

“In recent times, the town and its environs have seen an increase in criminal activities and lawlessness,” he said.

He noted that there are also concerns about chronic traffic congestion, the increasing number of motor-vehicle crashes, breaches of the Noise Abatement Act with night noises, and an increase in the number of illegal businesses in the township.