Roadwork forces relocation of police station

The temporary relocation of the Bull Bay Police Station in the Kingston East Police Division due to ongoing roadwork will not pose a problem for residents in the community who wish to access it, according to the division's commanding officer Senior Superintendent Tomielee Chambers.

"The new station will be accessible based on where we look at during our assessment of the situation," the senior cop told THE STAR on Sunday. Chambers, however, could not disclose how long the lawmen would have to use the makeshift police station.

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, during an inspection of the St Thomas-leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, noted that the station would have to be relocated as the work progresses.

Holness also informed the media that the relocation was necessary in order for the project to be completed by August, a deadline that was previously set for April.

"The police station is a property in Bull Bay that is in the pathway of the new road alignment. It has been under negotiation with the Ministry of National Security for sometime regarding its relocation. If it is not relocated in short order, it will delay our scheduled timeline of completion by August," Holness said.

The prime minister added that the Government was aware of the risks involved but stated that a rigorous procedure was undertaken to determine the ideal spot for the relocation.

"I think we have made the provisions to ensure that the relocation of the station does not impact the security concerns particularly in Bull Bay," he said. "We have found facilities that could accommodate them, they have not settled on them, but they have already settled on the temporary structures that they would put in place. Those structures now would have to be brought into the area and situated."