ARC undertakes $4m overhaul of Hunts Bay police barracks
IT IS not hard to figure out why some of the nation’s police officers appear to be so low on morale, especially when the barracks that they occupy in so many police stations across the country are in a deplorable state.
On Labour Day, representatives of ARC Manufacturing Company Limited did their part to improve the living conditions of police personnel at the Hunts Bay Police Station in St Andrew.
Led by Executive Chairman Norman Horne, employees of ARC Manufacturing gave the station a facelift. Work included the retiling of critical areas as well as the cleaning and dusting of all 22 rooms of the barracks.
Twenty-two brand-new mattresses will also be purchased for the beds, while a complete remodelling of the bathroom facility to include the installation of fixtures and furniture will also be undertaken. Work is set for completion by the end of June.
Superintendent Gary Francis, commanding officer for the Hunts Bay Police Station, said that activities undertaken by ARC and members of the police youth club on Labour Day would more than boost the morale of his officers.
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION
“This is, indeed, a significant contribution from ARC. We here at the Hunts Bay station are extremely grateful that a member of corporate Jamaica sees it fit to extend this kind of assistance,” Francis said.
“I am sure it is a great moralebooster for the men who have to be here putting their lives on the line to serve and protect the people in this division,” he added.
Cops assigned to the St Andrew South Division have been battling a spike in murders, with 69 incidents in the first quarter of this year.
“This is just our way of saying thanks and giving back to the Hunts Bay Police Station,” said Horne. “It is pleasing just to be associated with this work. We will be staying with this project until it’s completed.”
Station manager Inspector Racquel Longmore said that the enhanced physical infrastructure would have a positive effect on the men and women there.