The Hastings/Worthing Police Station.
THE Hastings/Worthing Police Station is set to be operational from Monday, February 24.
The modern facility, located in Hastings, Christ Church, is an amalgamation of the Hastings and Worthing stations.
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, officially opened the new station, which was under construction from 2016.
During a press conference to announce the relocation, Commissioner of Police (Ag.) Erwin Boyce also explained, “Now you will have from one location a policing approach that will combine both areas, in relation to the actual policing of the area.
“So there is no need for anyone to think that the area will not be policed, but there are sufficiency of numbers that will allow us to meet all the policing demands as it relates to policing of those two jurisdictions as one.”
The Acting COP also revealed that the Force has developed a suite of policing strategies that will involve both areas as a Unit. He said that this will include community policing, dedicated patrols to the Richard Haynes Boardwalk, dedicated patrols in the St. Lawrence Gap, and their beach patrol strategy.
“Equally, we are strengthening the community policing outreach in places like Sargeant’s Village, Brittons Hill, Dayrells Road, Bay Land – all those areas now are ripe for the strengthening of the community policing outreach programme,” he pointed out.
“The manpower needs of those areas we have assessed, and we are comfortable that the amount of persons that we put from that location will be adequate to meet all the needs that we are envisioning in the short and medium term.
“If you were to reflect on crime stats, you will realise that the Worthing Station carries about 600 crimes annually and the Hastings Station, about 500 crimes annually. Our suite of strategies obviously are aimed at reducing the level of criminality. We are looking at reducing the level of disorder; the level of lawlessness that from time to time pop up in those areas,” Boyce told reporters. (TL)