Several national security agencies to benefit from construction of new Sandy Point police station

The construction of a new Police Station in Sandy Point will not only benefit the Police, but other agencies are set to gain from the facility as well.

Giving an overview of the facility at the recently-held ground-breaking ceremony, Director of the Public Works Department, Cromwell Williams, explained that it would house the Police, the Fire and Rescue Services and the Customs Department, along with a Magistrate Court.

"It will be a 2-storey concrete masonry structure. It will have a footprint of 10,834 sq. ft. and an overall area of 17,920 sq. ft. That is quite a huge structure. The structure is designed to be a multipurpose complex...The project is being managed by the Public Works Department on behalf of the Ministry of National Security," Mr. Williams said.

The Police Station is expected to be completed by February 15, 2020 and will cost approximately $5.5 million. It will be equipped with access ramps, impact-resistant windows, a spacious recreation room, a communication office, an interview room, an open deck, two laundry rooms, two kitchens, and barracks. It will also have a large garage that can accommodate two fire tenders and over thirty parking spaces for use by the public.

When the site was first identified as the ideal location, several meetings were held with all the agencies that would be housed at the facility and other stakeholders. Public Works then went through the process of preparing the concept or preliminary drawings. The drawings were reviewed with the various agencies and stakeholders to make sure that the final product would be "fit for purpose" according to Mr. Williams.

"Having completed the designs and the drawings, we would have gone out to tendering...[The] Public Works Department would have evaluated those tenders that were received and based on primarily the cost and the time for completion we would have evaluated and adjudged the bid submitted by Skeete and Associates as the most responsive bid," the Public Works Director disclosed.

Acting Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy said that the ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of construction of a brand new facility that would meet the needs and demands of policing the area. He thanked the Government for its commitment to financing and constructing the building. He also thanked the Officers who were currently stationed at the building being used to house the Police Station in Sandy Point for their diligence and patience. The Acting Commissioner went on to assure the community that the ground-breaking ceremony symbolised the Police's continued commitment to the safety and security of the community, as well as all the residents of and visitors to the island.