May 20, 2021–The new Olympic Gardens Police Station that was slated to open in 2022, will open to the public at the end of June—months ahead of schedule. The construction was undertaken as part of the Ministry of National Security’s reconstruction program dubbed ‘Rebuild, Overhaul, Construct’ (R.O.C). The modern, fit-for-purpose structure replaces an old structure on Marcus Way in Kingston 11.
Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson toured the facility on Saturday, May 15 to get a firsthand look at the progress. During an interview at the end of the tour, Major General Anderson said, “The [new] Olympic Gardens Police Station… is symbolic of where we need to go as a police force and as an organisation that offers service to communities…”
Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, in commenting on the opening of the station said, “It will provide good quality facilities for the police officers and is more user friendly. It is a big thing for the community of Olympic Gardens, as well as the communities around it.” He also toured the station on Saturday.
The new station was built on the premise of community policing, where services needed by the community are built into the station environment. In addition to the dedicated spaces for the different functions of the Police, there are spaces for the residents to interact with the police. One of the most exciting aspects is a computer centre, which was built for the community.
Over 200 modern, citizen-friendly police stations are being created under project R.O.C., which is aimed at providing police officers with a comfortable environment conducive for work while creating the ambience for citizens to willingly and comfortably engage the police.
