OPPOSITION Senator Kim Swan has accused Government of deliberately delaying renovations to the St. George’s police station. The York Street station (pictured at right) has been closed for renovations since January 2, yet Sen. Swan said there was still no sign of these “so-called renovations” getting under way.

Sen. Swan said a recent home invasion and robbery by four masked men only highlighted the need for a police presence in the town, especially since it took police almost 20 minutes to respond.

With the tourism season soon to get into full swing, concern is also growing over what the lack of a police presence in the historic town will mean.

Every summer St. George’s caters to about 5,000 tourists and Sen. Swan feels having a police presence across the bridge meant “out of sight, out of mind” for any criminal activity.

Sen.<\p>Swan cited a sign posted on the door of the closed station suggesting those in need of help use the public telephone booth to call 911 for emergencies was “unacceptable”.

“That’s just not good enough,” he said, adding that having a police presence across the bridge, as opposed to in town, meant a longer response time.

He wondered why a mobile unit, similar to one used when the police station was fumigated a few months back, could not be used during the tourist season. “Residents feel a physical presence in the community is vital, especially with the tourism season starting soon,” he said.

Sen. Swan, who has lived in St. George’s for more than 20 years, added there was also growing concern from UNESCO that a World Heritage site requires a full-working police station.

“What is the delay?” he asked. “Certainly a plan for the revitalisation of the police station is in place and the Government has had more than enough time to proceed.”

He felt Government underestimated how much work needed to be done to the station, which has been plagued by problems for years.

“It’s not just a paint job and if additional bathrooms, floor work and additional access needed to be built to meet fire and safety regulations, then yes, Government has had six years to come to terms with this and they knew what it would take.

“I know how politics works, I’ve been around it all my life. If it can be delayed long enough it will become another promise unfulfilled. That’s why I asked the question when I didn’t see it in the Budget,” he said.

The funding for the renovation falls under the Budget’s Major Buildings Upgrade allocation, as was pointed out by Dr. Derrick Binns, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Works and Engineering, earlier this week.

Dr. Binns told the press that a structural assessment of the building had been undertaken and discussion were ongoing with the police as to the scope of the project.

Sen. Swan responded: “An assessment was done and calls for much work, but it’s been five to six years since the announcement was made that St. George’s will always have its own police station — and comes after moving it to Southside.”

Meanwhile, police spokesman Dwayne Caines assured residents that there would be an increased police presence in St. George’s during “critical times” and the tourist season.

As for the incident in St. George’s, Mr. Caines said this was an ongoing investigation and could not comment on it.