ST JAMES, Jamaica — Police commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, says there are plans to establish a Specialised Operations branch in St James to help curb crime and violence in the parish.

“Earlier on, that was part of the plan, it got interrupted because of COVID-19, but that has to come back on the table. It is the process of getting perhaps 200 to 250 specially trained police officers like [those] in Kingston… that can respond very rapidly to ongoing situations and locating them up in Montego Hills [in St James], right in the middle of the problem,” Anderson said.

He was addressing the official opening of the Mount Salem Police Station in St James, recently.

“The design and scope of that plan is one that allows for shared facilities with a community and creating a safe space for the community. As part of the development of St James and the security around that development, it’s really a critical component of it,” he outlined.

The Mount Salem Police Station was officially opened by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. The project was funded by the European Union at a cost of $ 47.6 million and undertaken by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund under its Poverty Reduction Programme.

Construction was undertaken as part of the build phase of the Zone of Special Operations now in place in the community.

It was also done as part of the Ministry of National Security’s Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct project, which involves the rebuilding, renovating and retrofitting of police facilities across the island.

The police station, for which ground was broken in November last year, now boasts an entry court and reception area, a guardroom, resource room, exhibit room, holding area, two interview rooms, three offices, two restrooms, one kitchen, one storage area and a parking area.

The new police station will benefit some 22,000 residents in and around Mount Salem.