Repair razed police station, Hannah Town residents plead
Published:Tuesday | June 1, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Residents of Hannah Town in west Kingston have pleaded with the minister of national security to quickly restore the police station in the community which was destroyed by thugs last Monday.
The residents claim the station was razed by men from a neighbouring community - not anyone from Hannah Town.
They said they had enjoyed a good relationship with police personnel at the station.
"The police dem keep all treat for the old people dem and you could always talk to them," one woman said as she looked with sadness at the shell of the cop shop which had been gutted by fire.
"My daughter did a project and we found that this is the oldest police station in west Kingston and one of the oldest in Jamaica, having been built in 1918," the woman added.
She expressed special regret at the destruction of the recently constructed homework centre for the children of the community, the Hannah Town Learning Net-work Centre.
"This will hurt the children who come here every evening to do their homework," said a resident.
"This station is essential, because if you have somebody sick and dead and you take them to hospital, you have to take them back to the police station. So you see that it is needed," the resident said.
The Ministry of National Security has estimated that it will cost $60 million to rebuild the Hannah Town station.
This was one of 14 police facility attacks - sparked by a face-off between gunmen and the security forces in west Kingston last week - by militants.
While the Hannah Town station was the worst affected, the Darling Street Police Station was also set ablaze by the thugs, while the Cross Roads, Fletcher's Land and Denham Town stations were among those shot up.