Last night we told you how the police precinct one headquarters would be moving soon to a new address. It's going from the corner of Euphrates and Mex Avenue to the corner of King and West Streets.
But the move is noteworthy not just for the change of address - but because police are moving out of a business owned by former minister Anthony Boots Martinez.
Today, via Zoom, Police Minister Kareem Musa told us that the Scenes of Crime unit, under the Forensic Science Services has also moved out of the old Barrow and Williams office - owned by the former PM's law firm:
Hon. Kareem Musa - Minister of Home Affairs "That particular premises was some 3,400 square feet, we needed a bigger space for the scenes of crime and so that was relocated last month and that has been transferred over to the Espat building on Albert Street and so now they have a much bigger space a more modern space for the scenes of crime unit at the very same price, so we're getting better value for money now. In relation to the Euphrates police station, like you rightfully mentioned the officers were having to work in very strenuous environments including flood waters inside the police station and so we thought it definitely fit to cancel that particular lease and in this situation the police department in particular the commissioner of police deciding in terms of the strategic location or where they would have wanted if they had the choice to put precinct 1 and so they chose that particular location, it is bigger in space, it is some 3,000 square feet, it has a platform at the top where they are going to be using for briefings in the morning and it will not be any additional rent, the same rent that they were paying to the former minister, you will be paying the exact same rent for a much larger space and it has parking as well."
Cherisse Halsall "What would you say to the questions that is it a political move, I have to get out of these UDP buildings and into buildings that belong to some PUPs."
Hon. Kareem Musa "I would answer that by questioning how is that they went about choosing to give this rental to themselves, I think that is what you have to question, did they ever consult with the police department? Did they ever consult with the forensics department in deciding where to place these individuals? I think that is what really comes down to, giving them the leverage, meaning the director of forensics is the one that chose the Espat building. I don't know in terms of political affiliation in relation to the Espat building, some people would argue that they supported the UDP but I don't get into all of that and so I wouldn't buy into the propaganda that basically it was done politically or it was even done out of malice, that is not true."
We note that we first heard that police will do their daily briefing and "fall-in" at a nearby lot which has to be cleared, and, now, the Minister says that "fall-in" will be on the roof of the building. We'll wait and see.
