PM Andrew Holness to Invest $2.2 Billion for construction of Police Headquarters to revitalize Spanish town

St Catherine, Jamaica: Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a major initiative to reclaim Spanish Town from criminal gangs with the construction of a $2.2 billion divisional police headquarters. This investment, along with other development plans, will transform the historic town and heighten public safety.

Speaking at the contract signing event, the Prime Minister said that developers were strategically investing in the town long before the Government initiated its own massive reinvestment in Spanish Town. He emphasized that Spanish Town holds historical and cultural importance and that it was close to his heart, as he was born there.

The new police headquarters is being constructed on 20,243 square meters of land at Darling Pen, with construction expected to be completed in July 2026. Among the sustainable designs to be incorporated in the three-storey facility are rainwater harvesting, passive cooling, natural lighting, and solar energy. Other infrastructure includes the multi-purpose court, sewage disposal, stormwater drainage, among others.

Holness emphasized that in this initiative, community involvement is most important for fostering improved relations between the citizens and the police, with the hope of eventually eradicating criminal gangs that have a stranglehold on the area. Two of the criminal organizations making up major players having long reigns in the area are the One Don faction and the One Order Gang.

Among other things, the Prime Minister said West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) Limited Chairman Peter Melhado had promised to take quick action on the project, for which the venture could be an expanse to benefit the entire parish. Commissioner of Police, Dr Kevin Blake was excited about the start of the project, as he saw it as a key deliverable towards the Jamaica Constabulary Force Modernization.

The PM Holness shared new development plans, such as a new Spanish Town Hospital and improvements in local infrastructure, with all measures that would make the residents benefitted with improved living conditions in Jamaica in general.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang and Member of Parliament Olivia “Babsy” Grange, all welcomed the development, with each emphasizing Government’s commitment to break the spine of gang activity, while driving economic growth.

The encompassing vision of this plan is to realize a reduction in murders by a least of 20%, within five years, and restoring Spanish Town to the state it was before and creating the opportunities for broad-base growth and development.