Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
Brickdam Police Station rehab… New lock-ups still unused after six years
The Ministry of Public Security recently published an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for the rehabilitation of the Brickdam Police Station. Bids were placed earlier in July this year, however, due to reasons unknown the Ministry is seeking a retender.
Bids placed for the rehabilitation of the Brickdam Police Station in July
The lock-ups at the Brickdam Police Station.
The Brickdam Police Station is one of several police stations that were slated to be rehabilitated and completely refurbished from a sum of $1.8 billion set aside by the government for the upgrades. As promised, works were scheduled begin this year.
But commentators are pleading with the government not to spend taxpayers’ monies wastefully, by making sure that whatever work is done, must be of standard. This means that the rehabilitation works must be done properly in order to avoid extra funds being spent to do corrective work.
This concern is raised after sources have revealed that six years have passed since a decision was made to upgrade the Brickdam lock-ups.
They said that the upgrade was made but the new lock-ups were never commissioned or used.
Back in 2013, the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the People’s Progressive Party(PPP) administration, Clement Rohee, had asked for tenders to build another story above the old lock-ups.
According to reports, the works were estimated to cost more than $50M.
Construction was done but in 2017 and an additional $20M was injected into the project by the current government A partnership for National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
This extra cost had to be injected because it was discovered that the building was badly designed and described to be an oven for prisoners.
The ventilation was said to be very poor and was described as dreadful for prisoners and officers.
A year later this newspaper received information that the lock-ups were still useless due to its horrendous condition, which shocked human rights activists.
It was reported that toilet facilities are almost non-existent.
Now we are in 2019 and according to new information received “these so called new lock-ups” are still not in use. In fact, the lock-ups up to this date were never officially commissioned.
Based on past reports, it has been established that Georgetown deals with 60% of reported serious crimes and with the new lock-ups not being used, other lockups have been overcrowded.
Ranks had also said that when the lockups are full at the various police stations around Georgetown, prisoners are transferred to other lockups out of the city.
This process, they say, consumes time and money.
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