PM pushes for quick erection of Little London Police Station
Published:Monday | April 11, 2022 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/ Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With a price tag of approximately $175 million and a timeline of just over two years, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed disappointment that the 5,300-square-foot new Little London Police Station will take that long to be built.
Noting that it was “a significant investment”, the prime minister lamented the project timeline, saying, “It can’t be that it takes us two years to build a small building with a small footprint.”
“You know, in today’s world, we can do this much faster, so I would urge you to see how we can speed it up, move it along,” Holness said to Donald Moore, senior general manager at the National Housing Trust, at last week’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Westmoreland police station.
The scope of work comprises construction of the core two-storey building, living quarters, and a holding area. It will also consist of a new sewage-disposal system, erection of boundary walls, kitchen and laundry facilities, and appliances
“The NHT is confident that this new station will not only lend itself to boost your efforts in this community but will extend to the wider parish of Westmoreland,” Moore said.
However, recalling his involvement in the construction of the Olympic Gardens Police Station in his St Andrew West Central constituency, Holness noted that projects of this nature do take time, given the process of procurement, workforce attitudes, and other variables.
“I believe that we can overcome that with the use of better building technologies and building systems. With proper site management, we can really cut the time and deliver the product quickly,” the prime minister said.
Speaking at the same event, state minister in the Ministry of National Security, Zavia Mayne, said the original station was destroyed by fire a few years ago. He noted that what should have been their temporary accommodation at a nearby plaza has proven to be unsuitable for police use and operations.
Mayne said the construction of the police station is integral to the Government’s transformational agenda to strengthen the constabulary and the national security apparatus more broadly.
“We recognise that we will not be able to deal with the activities of extreme violence and the terrorising of communities by criminal violence with an underequipped police force,” said Mayne.