Good infrastructure needed to better police areas in Hanover

WESTERN BUREAU:

With the parish of Hanover fast losing its claim to be the safest parish in the island, the Green Island police are calling for better road and street-lighting infrastructure in that area, which is now noted among several police hotspots in the parish.

Thirty-two of the 72 murders that were committed in the parish during 2023 took place in the Green Island policing area.

Addressing the January monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), police inspector in charge of the Green Island Police Station, Mervin Hodges, made a plea for a better road network in the area, which he said would allow the police to properly patrol and monitor the communities within that space.

“We (the Green Island police personnel) are calling on the political directorate (of the Hanover Municipal Corporation) and social agencies, to partner with the police in fixing some social amenities in this parish,” he said.

“We have some terrain (in the Green Island policing area) that need to be properly policed, and we are seeking assistance in fixing some of these areas,” he stated.

He named the Cauldwell community as one where approximately 15 of the murders committed in the parish in 2023, occurred, adding, “We need proper lighting conditions and road network in that locale to assist us.”

“Also the Guangu Tree area in the Green Island space, which is responsible for at least six murders, we need proper lighting condition,” he continued.

FORGE PARTNERSHIP

Hodges argued that with the new developments now taking place in the town of Green Island proper, inclusive of the Princess Hotel, the area is being over-run with additional traffic, and, as such, a proper traffic management system is needed there.

“We need some form of traffic management, such as proper road markings and a traffic light to be affixed in the Orange Bay area, as we (the police) have noticed that the number of motor vehicle accidents occurring in that area is cause for concern,” he noted.

He called for the National Works Agency (NWA) to forge a partnership with the police to address some of the issues particularly in the Orange Bay area, noting that some four fatal accidents have occurred on that road thoroughfare in recent months.

Arguing that in a matter of months Green Island will be a major destination for tourist, as the over 2,000-room Princess hotel will be opened, Hodges made a plea for all stakeholders to play their part, in making the area safe for locals and tourist alike.

He made mention of the Logwood roadway, which has been severely damaged by trucks delivering marl to the construction site of the hotel, stating that several promises have been made over several months now to rehabilitate that thoroughfare, but to date nothing has been done.

Poor garbage collection in the area was also highlighted by the police inspector as a negative situation in the area.

“It (the poor garbage collection) is a concern for us (the police) and also the inmates that are in our custody,” he stated. He informed the meeting of a pile-up of garbage at the police headquarters in Lucea, that has not been collected for over three weeks.

“We need some social initiatives in the Green Island space,” he emphasised.