In March this year when the century-old building in Point Hill, St Catherine could no longer be used as a police station, the cops assigned there probably thought they would be moving to an appropriate facility.

Their hopes, however, were dashed when it became clear that they were being relocated to a small three-bedroom house.

Now, the cops feel that they have jumped from the frying pan into the fire, as the house, they complain, is inadequate.

“We really do not have everything for a police station because we need to have even a holding area so we can keep persons there until we get to take them to Spanish Town,” said one cop at the makeshift station last week.

According to the cop, whenever they take someone into custody, regardless of what time it was, they are forced to transport them to the Spanish Town Police Station lock-up, which is some 18 miles away.

But this task, he said, is made even more difficult because the police station does not have any motor vehicles. He said that each time they got an old vehicle it functioned for a short time before breaking down. “The last time is two months we got out of the one we had, and that was the longest time they serve us,” said the cop, who asked not to be named.

He explained that now when they have an emergency they have to borrow a vehicle from either the Brown’s Hall, Guanabovale or Shady Grove police stations. But even that arrangement, he said, had its weaknesses because most times those police stations do not have vehicles.

“When this happens, we have to wait for the Spanish Town police to get here, which could take quite a while,” he said.

One frustrated policeman told the Sunday Observer that the lack of resources opens them up to abuse from some residents who accuse them of not doing their jobs.

“Sometimes the people come here to report something and then they say ‘unno always don’t have a vehicle so me might as well go to Spanish Town’,” he said. “And I don’t really feel good about that because it make it seem like I am not doing my duty.”

He said that the majority of the cases reported to the police station require them to travel to a location. “Because the districts are so far apart, it is hard to police these areas without a vehicle,” he said.

What was once the living room of the house now doubles as a CIB office and guard room, while one bedroom, which has been converted into a bunk-style dormitory, sleeps five police officers. The other two rooms are used as offices.

The cops say they are yet to hear any official word as to whether they will be relocated. “We just keep on hearing things by the way like everyone else, because at one time they said the station was to be built elsewhere and then we heard nothing more about it,” one cop said.

But permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert Scott, told the Sunday Observer that the ministry was awaiting approval of the plans from the Parish Council so a contract can be awarded for a new station to be built at the old location. He was, however, unable to say how far along the process was.

Yesterday, Spanish Town Mayor Councillor Andrew Wheatley told the Sunday Observer that the building plans for the new station will be going to a meeting on Tuesday for approval.

He said from all indications it is likely that the plan will be approved.

“It was sent to us some time ago, but it takes up to six weeks to go to different agencies,” he said. “Now we have received all the reports and the application to have the fees waived has already been granted, so I believe the decision will be favourable.”

Meanwhile, the cops stationed there continue to bemoan the situation, pointing out that only recently a man who was taken into custody had to be chained to a grille at the back of the house as there was nowhere else to accommodate him.

The cop also said he was not comfortable with the station’s close proximity to the roadway, as it not only offered very little privacy for confidential matters but posed a security risk for the police.

“It is so close to the road and adjoining houses, unlike the first location which was secluded, and so we have to be careful what we do and say in here because people see everything in here,” he said.

Another cop pointed to the bulletin board, saying that the information posted there was typed by residents whose help the police had to seek.

“Even a little shelf inside there where we keep the bunk beds we had to walk and beg the residents a few pieces of board, and all now it can’t even finish, and so we don’t have anywhere to keep our things,” he said.

One resident said he hoped the police would be relocated soon so they can better serve the community.

“Right now, we nuh really feel like we have a police station,” he said, “so they might as well close it down because if we have an emergency and we call them in the night they don’t have a vehicle to come.

And if they have to lock up anybody they have to take them to the Spanish Town police, so might as well me pay me money and go straight to Spanish Town,” he said.

He agreed that the previous location provided much privacy for persons who needed to discuss confidential matters with the police.

“Now who is going to go there and sit and talk them business when everybody a pass out a road ah tek every word outta yu mouth?” he asked.

browni@jamaicaobserver.com