Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer
ALL THE prisoners who were housed at the Black River police station in St Elizabeth had to be urgently dispatched to other detention facilities in the parish last year on December 29, because of the rapidly deteriorating state of the facility.
Commanding officer in charge of the St Elizabeth Police Division, Fitzgerald Barrett, said the move came about because of some urgent repairs, that were needed on the cells of the Black River lock-up facility.
"We thought that this was the right time to undertake those repairs so we dispatched the prisoners to the New Market, Nain, Lacovia and Pedro Plains lock-ups in the parish," Mr Barrett said. He added that the facility had not been ordered closed by the St Elizabeth Health Department.
But when contacted by The Gleaner for a comment, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker of South West St. Elizabeth, Dr. Christopher Tufton, said he was reliably informed by others who worked at the police station that the facility was in a state of disrepair. He was highly critical of the move, and noted that it was unwise to move out all the prisoners at once, but that routine maintenance of the cell should have taken place.
"I am calling on the Ministry of National Security to look into the matter of the dilapidated cells at the Black River Police Station, because just recently two prisoners tried to escape from the lock-up. Some of the doors had no locks on them, and that needs to be addressed," Dr Tufton said.
Efforts to reach Lester Beharie, chief public health inspector for St. Elizabeth, were unsuccessful.
Mr. Barrett explained that the Black River Police Station was opened in 1984, and to date, several improvements were needed on the cells of the facility. While not outlining the details of the repairs that will be carried out on the prison, the commanding officer said that the repairs were very urgent.
"After weeks of looking at the situation, I decided to go ahead and submit a report to my superiors and hence, the repairs were ordered. The prisoners who were remanded on Circuit Court matters were sent to the Horizon Remand Centre in Kingston," Mr. Barrett said.
