Government is to push ahead with plans for a new $11 million Magistrates' Court and Police Station with tenders set to go out in the Spring.

Finance Minister Eugene Cox said the building would include five new courts, a dedicated family court and a Police Station with an improved jail for holding prisoners.

The five-storey building on Court and Victoria Street will also have a floor for general Government use which Mr. Cox said would bring savings on rental expenses.

Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Terry Lister said the new Police Station was a long-standing Progressive Labour Party pledge.

He said: "We were appalled by the state of conditions in the Magistrates' Court and in Hamilton Police station - which used to be a prison and it's very similar to one now."

He said he hoped the tender would go out by June but said the building would take several years to complete.

Mr. Lister said he hoped the contract for the new Police Station planned for Southside would be awarded by April with work possibly being completed by the end of this year.

He said: "We need to get on with it."

The Ministry has been allocated a total of $78.65 million for the coming year, making it the third largest department behind health and education. The figure represents an increase of just over $2 million, or 2.6 percent, on last year's allocation.

Police are also to get new radios as part of an equipment upgrade with $3.7 million being spent on new telecommunications equipment, computers and new vehicles for the Police and Fire Service.

And Government is also ploughing $1.8 million into the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) scheme which aims to end the revolving door situation at Westgate prison by rehabilitating criminals.

Mr. Lister said new programmes would be brought in by the National Drug Commission at the halfway house in Dockyard which aims to ease the reintegration of former prisoners into the community.

Mr. Lister said the ATI programme was starting to reduce numbers at Westgate with the Drug Court programme which offers criminals with drug problems the alternative of rehabilitation to prison.

He said: "We want to get away from the punitive situation and move to redemptive situation and get people back into the community and the workplace."

New funding is also being given to programmes to treat sex offenders and substance abusers and to support court administration, the newly established parole board and community service.

Following recommendations from the Prisons Board of Inquiry there will be 25 new Prison Officers and five new teachers to help run the expanded inmate education programme.

There will also be additional staff at the Southside Detentions centre.

Customs are to get an additional $899,000 for the transfer of airport Immigration Officers to Customs which is aimed at streamlining passenger processing at the airport.