The Ministry of National Security is advising that the Exeter Police Station in Race Course, Clarendon that was vacated due to damage it sustained during Hurricane Beryl, has been fully restored.
Police personnel assigned to that station now have a sense of relief after work to overhaul the building was completed under the Ministry’s flagship Project Renovate, Overhaul and Construct (Project R.O.C.) initiative.
The works completed include the installation of a new roof, ceilings, air conditioning units, dry wall partitions, tiles, windows, doors and security grills as well as an overhaul of the electrical system. The kitchen, bathroom facilities and the interview room were also upgraded. A wheelchair ramp was also constructed to ensure easy access to the station by persons with disabilities.
The cumulative investment stands at $16.6 million with the renovation works costing $14.3 million while $2.3 million was spent to fully furnish the station.
Mr. Delroy Simpson, Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of National Security in leading a tour of the site to view the works in November, thanked the police for their service and conveyed the Ministry’s commitment to continuing to improve the state of police facilities across the island.
Inspector Kerry-Ann Maylor-Wallace of the Clarendon Police is excited by the renovation, stating that it now provides an environment that is conducive for policing.
She said that the upgrade of the facility gives both the police and the citizens a level of comfort they never had before and that the long-awaited interview room demonstrates the continued thrust by the JCF to better engage the public and improve service delivery.
“This interview room means that citizens will feel comfortable in giving a statement or making a report to the police. This is the best part of the upgrades here,” Inspector Maylor-Wallace said.
“I believe that if the space is comfortable, you will get more work from the officers stationed here. For obvious reasons, I am sure they will be inclined to raise their performance levels on the job now,” she added.
Station officer, Constable Marchell Allison, has seen the worst of times at the Exeter Police Station. Now his mood and outlook are different.
“It’s like moving from the Sahara Desert to the Garden of Eden. It is that different for me now. The contractors have done an excellent job to fix this station,” he said.
The Constable thanked the Ministry of National Security for intervening to make sure citizens have “a decent police station” in their community.
Community member George Gayle noted his pride in the renovated police station. Mr. Gayle, who has been a resident of the Race Course community for over twenty-five years, said he welcomes the upgrading of police station, for the signal it sends to the community.
“We live in a troubled area where anything can spark violence, so the residents, I can tell you, are very glad for this overhaul,” he said.
Works are also ongoing to restore the Linstead and Pedro Plains Police Stations, which were also damaged during Hurricane Beryl. Additionally, the Manchioneal Police Station is also slated to receive attention in the coming weeks.
The aim of Project R.O.C is to convert all police stations into modern, citizen-friendly workspaces, provide officers with a comfortable environment conducive for work, while creating the ambience for citizens to willingly and comfortably engage the police.
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