POLICEMEN stationed at the Cambridge Police Station in St James have pleaded to the security ministry to carry out much-needed repairs to the police station in that community.

“The windows at the station are not good, the doors are not secured and there are ‘things’ falling out of the ceilings on us at nights,” said one of the 14 policemen who work at the station.

In addition, they said the floors of the barracks are rotten and the building is badly in need of a fresh coat of paint.

“As a result of the poor state of the building we have to work on shifts at nights patrolling the station, because the doors and the windows are not secured,” he said.

And apart from the need for the refurbishing of the building, the policemen have also expressed the need for a proper service vehicle.

“The situation with the jeep is very bad. It is the only one we have and it is very old. Recently, two persons who were transported in the vehicle became ill after they inhaled the fumes from the exhaust,” said one of the men.

In 1997, the lock-up at the station was condemned as a result of its dilapidated state. Since that time persons taken into custody are kept at the Freeport Police Station lock-up in Montego Bay, about 15 miles away, for safe keeping.

The lawmen at Cambridge said that they also have to contend with the poor state of the roads in the division they have to police.

“The roads in our division which includes the communities of Cambridge, Mount Horeb, Stonehenge, Catadupa, Bickersteth, Auchindolly and Retrieve are very, very bad. It would take us almost a day to patrol our division because of the state of the roads,” said a spokesman.

However, despite the poor working conditions under which the police at Cambridge are carrying out their duties, residents in the area said they have been carrying out their duties in a professional manner.

“They are doing a good job and we have a very good relationship with them,” a resident told the Observer.

The resident added that the police have managed to keep crime at a manageable level and have worked hard to gain the respect and trust of the people in the area.