Multimillion-dollar Green Acres Police Station flooded … again

On Saturday, the newly built Green Acres Police Station in Spanish Town, St Catherine, was flooded once again due to heavy rainfall, reigniting concerns about its readiness to house police officers.

Despite being slated to open in 2021, the station remains technically unsound due to recurring flooding issues.

The original construction cost of $250 million, announced by National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, was supplemented with an additional $70 million in 2022 to address drainage problems.

However, recent heavy showers caused by Hurricane Beryl followed by another weather system have demonstrated that these issues remain unresolved.

St Catherine North West Member of Parliament, Dr Christopher Tufton, emphasised the urgency of addressing the infrastructure deficiencies.

"NWA [National Works Agency] now has an estimate, they now need to act on the technical report," Tufton stated.

His comments echo the long-standing concerns of Green Acres residents and surrounding communities, who have called for proper road and drainage solutions for years, even before the station's construction began.

Efforts to contact NWA boss EG Hunter for a response were unsuccessful.

The ongoing flooding problem at the Green Acres Police Station continues to highlight the need for immediate action to ensure the safety and functionality of the facility that has been the subject of vandalism.

Since March 2018, police personnel assigned to the area have been forced to use a cramped 20-foot container that was retrofitted as a police post.