AFTER being in a state of disrepair for more than four years, the Vieux-Fort Police Station is finally nearing completion, according to Prime Minister Philip J Pierre.
Last November, The Government of Saint Lucia and the National Insurance Property Development and Management Company Ltd. (NIPRO) signed an agreement to finance rehabilitation works on the Vieux-Fort Police Station to the tune of EC$3.5 million.
It is one in a series of initiatives that reflects Prime Minister Philip J Pierre’s dedication to improving the infrastructure and resources available to law enforcement agencies, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said this week.
“Prime Minister Pierre’s timely intervention will finally end years of inconveniences and disruptions to police administration in Vieux-Fort and ensure police officers and law enforcement officials attached to the Vieux-Fort Police Station occupy suitable facilities for improved service delivery in the island’s south,” the OPM noted in a statement.
Pierre, in a recent interview, said that officers “will have a good environment to work…(and) there will be a place to hold prisoners…”
He also apologized to the police for taking so long, “… I’m not (responsible for this) but you know where the buck falls and where it stops. You saw the extensive work— the roof (has) changed (and) there are certain features in the roof… to mitigate climate change,” Pierre said.
Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius this week noted that “we need to have all it takes to enable us to fight crime in this county and to make Saint Lucia a better and safer place for citizens and visitors.”
Last September, Prime Minister Pierre signed a Built Own Lease Transfer (BOLT) agreement with NIPRO to commence construction of a new Northern Divisional Police Headquarters in Gros Islet with the total value of that project estimated at EC $35 million.
“Philip J. Pierre, has always understood the importance of sufficiently addressing the needs of Saint Lucia’s police officers,” the OPM noted in its release.