Mark Beckford, Gleaner Writer

Assistant Commissioner of Police Granville Gause renovates a door at the Highholborn Basic School on Highholborn Street, central Kingston, last Saturday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Students at the Highholborn Basic School located at 2-4 Highholborn Street, central Kingston, will be pleasantly surprised this morning when they arrive at school.

This is so because their school has received a much-needed face-lift on the weekend through the collaborative efforts of the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI), the Area Four Police Civic Committee and several businesses in the community.

Head of the BSI, acting Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Granville Gause, says that his organisation decided to become involved as the school's condition moved him. The school was operating with malfunctioning doors, broken toilets and other infrastructure problems. This stirred him into action. He then sought permission from the Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, to adopt it and was given the green light.

"It is important that the police and citizens of whatever com-munity or area they are in to try to come together to work, and in this respect, the best place to start is with the youth," says Gause.

The project, which started on Labour Day, continued on Saturday, with the instalment of several doors, fans, toilets and tiles.

Security for children

Principal Morvene Roache, who was all smiles, believes the work being done would alleviate several problems. "As my face shows, you can tell how I feel because we have been promised and the promise has been fulfilled."

Roache says the installation of the doors would help to secure the building and the belongings of the students and children from animals, thieves and natural disasters.

"I am also happy because the Ministry of Education requires that we have a sandbox for the children and usually the cat comes and plays in it and now we can have one and secure it."

Chairman of the Area Four Police Civic Committee Ferris Ziadie says the improvement to the facility would place the children in a better environment, more conducive to learning. He also said the initiative would improve the relationship between the residents of the community and the police.