Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
( left - right )SAMUELS and MILLER
THE NATIONAL Housing Trust (NHT) has added the Ruthven Road offices of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to the list of police properties the Trust is acquiring to build houses.
The Ruthven Road site houses the Special Anti-crime Task Force (SACTF), the Community Relations department, the Protective Service Division, and the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).
In addition the NHT has all but acquired the JCF's Old Hope Road head-quarters, which houses the office of the Commissioner of Police. The state-owned housing development agency will be spending millions to purchase these properties to build middle income houses.
Contacted yesterday, NHT managing director Earl Samuels said the deal will be finalised soon. He could not give a price tag on the property acquisition as he said a final figure would be based on three valuations which were done.
"The transaction will happen," he said. "It's just that we need to find a place to house those two (police) offices."
According to him, timing was crucial as the NHT is trying to identify a "suitable location" to relocate the JCF headquarters.
Yesterday, Mr. Samuels said he couldn't give a definite time for the entire process to be completed.
"I would have liked for it to have happened already," he said. "We (NHT) hope to start building in another two years."
The Gleaner has been reliably informed that a possible relocation site for the police headquarters and Ruthven Road offices could be the Cable and Wireless-owned JAMINTEL building on Duke Street in downtown Kingston.
But Donovan Nelson, an aide to National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips, could not confirm the information yesterday. "I'm not aware of it," he said.
The Gleaner was unable to contact Errol Miller, vice-president of communication at Cable and Wireless, for a comment.
However, Mr. Samuels said the JAMINTEL building was one of the sites being examined.
"There's no decision on that," he stated. "We're looking at some other sites because we don't know if it (JAMINTEL building) will be available."
The NHT managing director added that the JCF's Transport and Repairs division on Tom Redcam Avenue in Kingston is another site being considered.
