Police officers based in Laplaine are now comfortably settled in their new quarters in the centre of the community.
The Constituency, which had been without a real police station since 1979, now have a base for community security and Government, effective May, no longer rents accommodations for law enforcement in the area.
Work on the $3m project began in January 2014 employing 15 men under the supervision of the Public Works Division.
When GIS News and the Hon. Parliamentary Representative for the Constituency, Petter Saint Jean looked at developments in the area, the new Laplaine Police Station was on the agenda.
“The residents complained consistently that the police officers were not visible in the community and so people hoped that when they moved into the new facility, the officers would be seen more often,” he said. “I must report that there has been an increase in the visibility of police officers in uniform which is a good thing. What used to happen is that you would only see a police officer at the school junction but right now I see them in the village and importantly when I pass the police station I see the police officers in uniform. This means that they are catching the vision…and I expect that to continue.
Corporal Earl Fontaine is one of the officers based in Laplaine.
He says the new accommodations are contributing to job satisfaction and performance.
“Since the men moved into the new station, it has greatly enhanced the morale and the community has expressed great interest and they seeing that the police are more involved in the community,” Corporal Fontaine said. “The ambience is good and it has all the amenities.”
Hon. Saint Jean is aware of the impact on both officers and more importantly, the communities.
“The reviews have been very positive. Based on my interaction with the police officers, they are very happy and I can only hope that this facility will serve as a motivation for the officers.”
With that comes a renewed call to the community to join law enforcement and engage in community policing.
This police base serves the communities of Laplaine, Grand Fond, Morne Jaune, Riviere Cyrique and Boetica.
It is hoped that the building will be officially commissioned in the coming weeks.
That is a great thing! I haile from LA and its good to see the community developing… like they say in football ‘keep it up’
Looking nice from the outside. I would like to see some inside pictures too.
Mr, St Jean, when the boundaries of the Laplaine police station had been changed? I always knew that Beotica was serviced by the Delices police and not La Plaine, please correct me if I’m wrong.
I congratulate the ploice of La Plaine,for moving into their new and long awaiting building, for too long they had been living in cramped quarters
No more work for DOWASCO in La Plaine, Cause police going to run nuff pipe now
Oh good! the picture shows no back alley; so prisoners can’t escape in cognito thru the rear.
Like Grandbay they have a nice place to play their Domino Games I visited Grandbay instead of the police patrolling the streets of Lalley they sit on the porch and play doominos That is all they do. check Mahaut. ””’
to God be the glory and to the officers may they keep it like their homes with respect and not a whore house, Earl Fontaine God bless you and continue to be the Officer I know you are…I am happy for laPlaine my home land..
It would be nice to add an abmulance bay to this building. I wonder who responds to emergencies in LaPlaine and how long it takes them to get there.
Laplaine is the only community for miles that has its own ambulance and dispensary my boy… also they have always had a police station, the others were too small for the all the surrounding villages they served. the since 1979 comment is not accurate.
what a disappointed comment from cpl fontain .this station is pretty yes but very poor accommodation police officers still have to be cramped for space in a bedroom which almost cant hold to beds. The building is poorly ventilated hot 24 -7 officers have to pass in kitchen to enter bed room stop treating police like school children by using school building plains to build police station.police needs to be comfortable like everyone else.
Wonder if u were in his place what u would have said.He spoke well.
I hope they give as much attention to the deplorable state of our prison at Stock Farm. I am listening to Matt Peltier’s programme this morning where caller after caller describes the conditions at our state prison as unhygienic and inhumane. It makes me wonder what happened to the £500,000 Baroness Scotland brought with her for the Dominica govt. when she signed the agreement on prisoner exchange with Ian Douglas in 2006 on behalf of her govt. in England? It would appear that the money was not used to improve the conditions in our jail. As A Dominican in a UK prison I would not see any advantage in serving my time at Stock farm instead rather than any U.K. prison. So what was the agreement for and what was the money for? I am really puzzled.
Villas.
U left Dominica to better urself and assisting ur families, now u are letting us know that u are in a prison in the UK, what a waste?