Caribzone News Highlights

By Caribzone.com

Jamaica

The Government of Jamaica, along with other stakeholders, will invest millions of dollars to renovate and construct police stations across the island.

Among them will be the construction of a new state-of-the-art police station in the seaside town of Port Maria, St. Mary, years after the original station was razed by fire.

Ground was broken for its construction on February 7. The National Housing Trust (NHT) will pay for the cost of that construction.

The Ministry of National Security, through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will renovate six police stations at a cost of $235 million, based on funds provided by the European Union.

These stations are located at Denham Town and Franklyn Town in Kingston; Lionel Town, Clarendon; Mount Salem and Adelphi in St. James; and Four Paths in Clarendon.

The Denham Town Police Station will be renovated at a cost of $36,815,510. The scope of the work will include the renovation of a leaking roof; construction of a waiting area; and rehabilitation of the existing administrative area, two security posts, two restrooms, six Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) offices, armory, exhibit room, storage areas and lunchroom.

The Franklyn Town Police Station will be renovated at a cost of $42,484,640. The scope of work will begin with the demolition of the wooden sections of the existing building, an outdoor bathroom facility, and a kitchen. The building will then be expanded with the addition of a lobby, a CIB office, an interview room, a briefing room, a training/resource room, a lounge for the officers, a kitchen/room, barracks, four bathrooms, and a laundry/storeroom.

The Lionel Town Police Station will be renovated at a cost of $36,872,735. The proposed work will include the construction of a laundry room, fencing, a guard post, a lunchroom, and a garage holding area. The main building of the station will also be renovated.

Renovation of the Mount Salem Police Station will cost some $42,538,653. The scope of work will include demolition of the existing building and the construction of an entry court, a reception area, a guard room, a resource room, an exhibit room, an armory, two interview rooms, three offices, two restrooms, a kitchen, and a driveway.

The Four Paths Police Station will be renovated at a cost of $37,860,942, to include the rehabilitation of a cell/lock-up area, a sanitation system, three bathrooms, one training room/meeting room, and a kitchen/lunchroom. A barracks area and driveway will also be constructed.

At the Adelphi Police Station, the cost will be $38,449,400. There will be the construction of three cell/lock-up areas, an exhibit room, two offices, a guidance office, fencing, and a driveway. The main building, barracks area, and the kitchen will be rehabilitated.

To date, the renovation has been completed at some police stations in St. Mary, while some are on their way to completion. These include Islington, Annotto Bay, High Gate, Prospect, and Castleton Police Stations.

--00—

Jamaica

The case against Simeon Sutherland, the man charged with the murder of former East Portland Member of Parliament Dr Lynvale Bloomfield, has been transferred from Portland to Kingston for trial.

In an application, attorneys-at-law Peter Champagnie QC and Samoi Campbell argued that Sutherland would not get a fair trial in Portland because of the late MP’s popularity in the area and the political atmosphere.

The application was upheld. Sutherland will now return to court on March 18 in Kingston where his matter will be mentioned. Bloomfield was found dead with several stab wounds on February 2, 2019, at his Passley Gardens home in Portland.

--00—

Jamaica

Karl Samuda, the minister with responsibility for the education portfolio, has warned of “harsh measures” to come as the ministry grapples with frequent acts of violence in the nation’s schools.

He declined, however, to give details of the type of stringent measures that would be introduced. He said that the staff at the Ministry of Education was working to ensure that schools were safe places for children and teachers to operate in. Further, he said that before the decisions were made, he would first meet with ministry officials to properly brief Cabinet on the incidents of violence in schools.

Samuda added that measures to limit access to schools through repairs to perimeter fences in 20 institutions would be addressed.

The minister’s comments came on the heels of threats made by the parent of a student at the Gregory Park Primary School in Portmore, St Catherine, on Thursday, which caused teachers to walk off the job.

Reports are that the police were called to the school after a teacher was reportedly threatened by a parent.

Richard Williams, the school’s principal, said the parent claimed that his child had an altercation with another student at the institution.

It is reported that the parent came to the school to discipline the other child but turned his anger towards the teachers after he was questioned.

The school board chairman was subsequently contacted and the ministry notified of the incident. Over the past week, there have been incidents at Eltham High School, where armed men stormed the compound, and Oracabessa High, where the dean of discipline was attacked by a student. There was also a bust-up incident at Homestead Primary School in St Catherine, which left a student and the principal reportedly nursing injuries.

--00—

Sports

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced an exclusive partnership with global weather and digital media leader AccuWeather. The agreement was announced on Friday during a ceremonial jersey-signing at AccuWeather’s New York Office.

With the deal, AccuWeather will provide forecasts and match day weather information through its various platforms including features such as AccuWeather Real Feel Temperature and AccuWeather Minute precipitation to detail accurate information targeting cities in the region, where matches are scheduled to take place.

CWI President Ricky Skerritt said that the deal was a crucial step towards improving their digital interface and providing more value to their fans.

AccuWeather President Steven R Smith said that they are eager to continue to branch out in the world of sports and is excited to contribute to cricket in the region.

The West Indies men begin their tour of Sri Lanka with the first One Day International on the weekend in Colombo. On the women’s side, the team is in Australia where it will seek to dethrone the host and champions (Australia) for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Ten national are taking part.

--00--