Bunting Working On Better Police Stations, less crowding

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Minister of National Security Peter Bunting has announced major construction, improvements and expansion of some police stations and related facilities in the Area Three (Manchester and St Elizabeth) police division in order to alleviate overcrowding.

Bunting made the disclosure on his first official visit to police stations in Manchester and St Elizabeth last Friday afternoon.

[Hide Description] Superintendent Lascelles Taylor (left) and Assistant Commissioner of Police Derrick Cochrane of the Area 3 Police Division (second left) in discussion with Minister of National Security Peter Bunting (centre) and other members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force about plans for the new police station at Newport.

“We are looking at the police stations in Area Three that are being repaired or, in some cases, entirely new facilities are being put up by the Ministry of National Security. We looked at the lock-up area in Mandeville where the ceiling is being raised to allow for better circulation of air. In Newport the longer term plan is to demolish the old building and put up a 25-man police station along with a 50-prisoner holding area,” Bunting said.

At the Alligator Pond Police Station “remedial work” is slated to be done on the fencing, he said.

The Mandeville police lock-up has been under repair since late last year after a 14-day notice was issued by the Manchester Public Health Department to lock down the facility.

The conditions at the lock-up came up for mention at the monthly local board of health meeting at the Manchester Parish Council last November and among the areas of concern were sanitation, ventilation and overcrowding.

Subsequently, all 90 prisoners were transferred to different lock-ups across the island and some of the officers assigned to the cell block redeployed in order to facilitate the repair work.

Superintendent Lascelles Taylor of the Manchester police division told the Jamaica Observer that within the next three or four weeks the prisoners should be back at the Mandeville lock-up.

Bunting said, however, that in terms of the work being done at the lock-up, it is a short-term measure.

“What we have done now is really an interim measure which really doesn’t expand the holding capacity in the first instance but it is certainly going to make the condition more tolerable. Manchester is a growing parish, we are going to have to expand the capacity of the facilities in Mandeville,” he said.

Bunting said that for the medium term the 50-prisoner holding area in Newport, when constructed, should assist in relieving the overcrowding at the Mandeville lock-up.

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Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/NEWS/Bunting-working-for-better-police-st…