Work progressing slowly on Hanover police lock-up

Western Bureau:

The closure of the lock-up at the Hanover police headquarters in Lucea has been undermining the capacity of the police to manage effectively.

The lock-up, which was closed in July last year to facilitate three months of repair work, remains closed and authorities are uncertain when it will be reopened.

Providing her monthly report to the Hanover Municipal Corporation, Superintendent Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer for the parish, said the work on repairing the cells is going at an extremely slow pace.

“Relative to the cell block, we are progressing very, very slowly, I can’t say that since the last time that we met [in January] any major improvement has been done,” said Beeput. “It is ongoing, but very, very slowly.”

CONTINUED OPERATIONS

The police superintendent, however, underscored that the police will continue to do their jobs as efficiently, despite the constraints.

“That [closure of the lock-up] does not stop our operational activities, and although the cell block is not operational, it still does not impact on the officers to carry out their daily duties,” said Beeput. “There is enough space available at the Barnett Street lock-up in Montego Bay, and we are utilising that space.”

Beeput said the biggest challenge for the police in Hanover is the lack of manpower, which is strained when detains are to be transferred securely from Lucea to Montego Bay in St James.

“Resources have to be leaving from here to go to Montego Bay to pick up the prisoners to take them to court on time, so it is really impacting on us. We do not have those resources at all,” said Beeput.

In response to the superintendent’s report, councillors at the Hanover Municpal Corporation committed to providing any assistance needed to quickly remedy the situation.