By Nagra Plunkett and Richard Morais, Gleaner WritersSTAKEHOLDERS IN the town of Falmouth, Trelawny, have identified a temporary home for the Falmouth Police Station which was given a 30-day closure notice by the health department to correct unsanitary conditions at the existing stationhouse.
Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Jonathan Bartley, told The Gleaner yesterday that during a meeting between private and public sector interests, a complex-type building located on 85 Market Street in the Georgian capital has been selected for the relocation.
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING
The decision to temporarily relocate the police station was arrived at during a high-level meeting with the Mayor, Custos Roylan Barrett, Chamber of Commerce President, Dennis Seivwright, and the police led by Commanding Officer for the parish, Superintendent Cecil Fletcher.
"The building is almost beyond mending or would take such a vast sum to effect this repair that it would be impractical to spend this figure since a new station is to be built, therefore repair is not an option," the Mayor told The Gleaner. He added that a stay of the notice was not feasible as this was not the first time the health department made the discovery. He said the other option was closure which was unthinkable.
"We are comfortable with the location and the building itself. It's 300 yards from the main centre of the town, closer than where it is now," the Mayor said. "All that is left now is for the police hierarchy and the owner to work out the details of the rent arrangement."
When contacted Assistant Commissioner of Police Linton Latty, Officer in charge of the Area One Police Division, which manages Trelawny, said that "the (Falmouth) station is dilapidated and is not suitable for human habitation. The police need somewhere to go as soon as possible and that is what we are trying to do along with the Ministry of National Security."
UPSURGE IN CRIMES
With the upsurge in gun crimes and gangsterism, many were concerned that this capital town would be without a police station causing the town to be further rocked by lawlessness; this fear has now been eased with the announcement by the Mayor. Some, however, are seeing this as a blessing in disguise as it is forcing the hands of the authorities to respond by building the new Falmouth station for which ground was broken 22 months ago by the then Minister of National Security Hon. K.D. Knight, but so far nothing has been done.
A statement from the Ministry of National Security yesterday indicated that plans for the construction of the new police facility are in a "highly developed state of preparation" with work expected to begin within the next three months and that all financial arrangements relating to the building of the new facility have been finalised.
