Anchovy Police Station hailed as ‘long-overdue blessing’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Sergeant Arlene McBean, chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation, has described the newly opened Anchovy Police Station as a “long-overdue blessing” for law-enforcement officers and the wider community.

McBean, who was speaking with The Gleaner following yesterday’s official opening of the police station, highlighted the modern facility as a triumph of persistent advocacy for better working conditions and welfare within the police force.

“This is an excellent move in the history of policing. To see this facility where our rank-and-file members can now work in comfort, serving and protecting the citizens of Jamaica, is amazing and a blessing,” McBean said.

For years, police personnel in Anchovy operated out of a section of the local post office after their original station was deemed structurally unsafe to operate from, a feature McBean described as a symbol of dedication and resilience, while underscoring the need for a prompt response from Government in such situations.

“That is why, when we ask for meetings, there must be immediacy to respond, to not ignore the policemen and women who are expected to be recognised through their financial welfare and well-being,” she added.

McBean went on to urge the police personnel and residents to share in the responsibility of maintaining the new facility, calling for shared civic pride and partnership.

In his keynote address, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang described the conditions of the old station as “primitive” and “embarrassing,” while recalling the difficult decision to relocate the police to a post office space.

“To send the police to sit down in a post office, it takes a kind of thinking that was really primitive,” said Chang, who displayed photographs of the original facility to emphasise the contrast with the new one.

MODERNISATION PROGRAMME

The new Anchovy station is part of a national programme to modernise law-enforcement infrastructure as according to Chang, 10 new police stations have been completed during his time as the head of national security.

“We have also refurbished 35 police stations and ensured the rest meet a minimum standard. It’s not just buildings. It’s about creating an environment that supports good policing,” said Chang.

He also noted that more than J$5 billion has been invested in infrastructure upgrades, which he says is part of the reason why there has been a significant drop in crime, especially in western Jamaica.

“We are getting results, over 40 per cent reduction in homicide in Area One,” he said, adding that communities once plagued by violence, such as Norwood, Salt Spring, and Flankers, all in St James, have seen dramatic improvements in safety and social activity.

The Anchovy Police Station is now fully operational and is expected to serve as a model of modern policing infrastructure in southern St James.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com