(Jamaica Gleaner) Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday boldly stated that the Government, through his leadership, is resolute in taking back Spanish Town, St Catherine from thugs who have, over the years, taken control of the nation’s former capital.
Holness made his remarks on Tuesday while speaking during a ceremony inside the lobby of the Office of the Prime Minister in St Andrew for the contract signing between the Government, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) for the 24-month construction of a $2.2 billion St Catherine North Divisional Police Headquarters.
St Catherine consists of a population of approximately 520,000 persons, which represents the second largest population in the island, following the urban city of Kingston and St Andrew. St. Catherine also boasts historical buildings.
Since the start of the year, St Catherine North has accounted for 48 murders of the total crimes committed islandwide. To Holness, although this represents a 15 per cent decrease when compared to 2023, this is troubling, and, as the parish in which he grew up, he outlined his commitment to working harder to change things for the better.
“I am from Spanish Town. I was born in Spanish Town. I love Spanish Town. It is a place of such great history and it pains my heart to see the buildings deteriorating; the Georgian buildings just disappearing, so much history and culture there… but the town [albeit] historic for a long time, has been overrun by criminal gangs that are really strangling the town of its true potential,” Holness said.
“For us to take back the town, the JCF will be an important element of that strategy, but it is not the criminals that we need to get out of the town, more so, it is the people we need to get on the side of the police, because the criminals have interwoven themselves into the fabric that they have protection and safety,” he said.
Although now significantly weakened due to the direct intervention of the security forces, one of the popular gangs that were known to control aspects of the old city, was the Clansman gang, which represents one of the groups Holness and the security forces are targeting.
In addressing the organised criminals who operate in the St Catherine police division, Holness made reference to one of St Catherine’s most wanted men, known as ‘Devil’, who police said previously faked his death and organised his wake to throw police off his trail, but was then cut down along with his cousin by a joint police-military team who went in search of them in Linstead Saturday morning.
“Strategically, we are going to retake Spanish Town from the criminals, so I want to commend the police for the work they are doing, and have taken out one character called Devil,” he said.
In the meantime, Holness also offered condolences to the relatives, colleagues and friends of a police officer who was killed on Monday at the Half-Way Tree Police Station.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Mayne was shot and killed by Deon Singh, part owner of Singh’s Motors, who reportedly disarmed a policeman and shot the detective before turning the gun on himself, as he was being fired on by other police personnel.
Singh and his wife, Sophia Ramsundar-Singh, had reportedly been before the court on Monday to answer to fraud-related charges.
Holness described the situation which unfolded as “bizarre” while speaking at the contract signing.
He reminded Jamaicans that police personnel are understanding of the average person’s situation.
“The men and women of the JCF were not imported. They were not recruited from abroad. They are from your communities. They go to your churches. They tell and share our stories, and every day they put their lives on the line for your safety and security,” he said.
Signing the contract was Holness; Dr Horace Chang, minister of national security; Dr Kevin Blake, commissioner of police; and Peter Melhado, chairman of WIHCON.
The new divisional headquarters is to be built on 217,894.9 square feet (or 20,243 square metres) of land. The three-storey building will have a footprint of 13,203 square metres and a total floor area of 43,200 square feet. The works will include a main building, electrical room, garbage room, guard house, multi-purpose courts, sewage disposal, storm water drainage, paved areas, and boundary walls. Sustainable design features include rainwater harvesting, passive cooling, natural lighting, solar energy, and flexible floor plans.
The aim of this project is to strengthen the national security infrastructure in the St Catherine North Police Division in order to satisfy the demand for effective policing services, which is being driven by population growth and unacceptable levels of criminal activities in the parish.
The main objectives are to: design, build and deliver an adequate, functional facility to the JCF that provides specialised functional units, allowing for the coordination of 13 police stations across the police division; create a structure that can integrate security technologies that are being implemented via ePolicing Initiatives, duly approved by Cabinet (Decision No. 6/18, dated February 5, 2018); expand the policing infrastructure in the parish, to create faster response capability and improved interaction with citizens; and aid a sense of sustained stability through enhanced police presence in the region, contributing to public order and public safety.
The multibillion dollar building will be located overlooking the troubled inner-city community of Tawes Pen in Spanish Town.
In January, three of six men were charged for the kidnapping of a businessman from Tawes Pen.
