Lease signed for property to set up Hopewell Police Post
Published:Saturday | October 15, 2022 | 12:06 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
PLANS TO establish a police post in Hopewell, Hanover are near to reality as the lease agreement for the property being offered by the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has been signed by both parties.
While tabling a report in the HMC’s October monthly meeting, Superintendent of Police Sharon Beeput announced that the agreement is now signed, and it is just a matter of time before the Hopewell Police Post is in place.
“We (the JCF) have started to look at the location already. The team will be back on Friday of next week, and depending on the volume and the scope of work to be done on the building on the property, I can’t say when it will be up and running, but it should be soon,” Beeput stated.
She mentioned the different issues in the Hopewell area that have made the facility a necessity, including an escalation in crime, traffic congestion and motor vehicle crashes, breaches of the Noise Abatement Act, unauthorised business establishments, among other issues. She added that members of the JCF are looking forward to the facility being up and operating, as it will assist them greatly in maintaining law and order in the area.
The closest police station is located some five kilometres away in Sandy Bay.
The proposed property, which was visited and approved by Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson in July 2021, is located at the entrance to Pondpiece in Hopewell
The HMC-owned property has been leased to the JCF at the ‘pepper corn’ rate of $1,000 per year for 50 years in the initial stage.
Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC, Sheridan Samuels, is pleased that the lease agreement has been finally signed.
“We in the HMC and the Hanover police have a great relationship. We are there for each other like brothers and sisters, and I trust that it will continue that way for quite sometime,” he stated.
Councillor for the Hopewell division in the HMC, Devon Brown, said that he is eager to see the facility up and running, as it would stand as a legacy achievement for him as the political representative for the area.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Hopewell Citizens’ Association, Derrick Wright, has welcomed the progress made to establish the police post.
“The sooner it is established the better,” he said.