MALVERN, St Elizabeth — The usually stern-looking Corporal Donaree Stanley-Kerr broke out in cheery laughter when asked how it felt to have moved into the new police station in Malvern.

“It’s like moving from hell to heaven,” she declared.

For almost five years since Hurricane Dean devastated the stately old cut-stone building which housed the courthouse and police station, police officers have been operating from a small, cramped building once used for petty sessions court.

In 2009, the concrete base to accommodate the police station was built adjacent to the 121-year-old hurricane-wrecked two-storey structure. A cost estimate for completion was placed at the time at $8.5 million.

Last year, a 1,800-square-foot rectangular prefabricated galvanised building was erected atop the concrete base. Fears by locals that the unconventional structure was destined to be an eyesore eased in recent months with the creation of a tasteful, frontal façade.

When the Jamaica Observer Central visited a few days ago, there were no serious complaints, though occupants pointed to the need for “one or two more windows” so “we can easily see who is coming”. There was also need for “a separate room” for the station’s commanding officer, which they claim “with a little creativity” could be accommodated on a large, unfinished back porch.

“The truth is that before we moved in here, coming to work was a little bit bothersome,” said Stanley-Kerr as she gave the Observer Central a guided tour of the new building. “Now we feel good and motivated to come to work… we feel at home in this new place,” she said.

As currently situated, the new station includes a reception area, a sergeant’s office, a corporal’s office, a statement room, an armoury, barracks for male and female officers complete with well-equipped bathrooms, a kitchen, and recreation dining area complete with refrigerator and television.

Stanley-Kerr noted that the new facilities — much of it air-conditioned — meant police personnel could now comfortably “overnight” when the need arose.

There was also an economic advantage with personnel able to save on “gas and taxi fare”, she said. “Sometimes you have to work late as well as early the next day, you can overnight, rest comfortably and get a shower… and it also works out economically.”

Head of Police Area Three (Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth), Assistant Commissioner Derrick Cochrane expressed happiness for the police crew in Malvern. “It’s a dream come true for them,” he said.

He also hailed them for staying dedicated to their jobs despite the extreme inconveniences of the last five years.

He argued that the new facilities should result in “improved customer service, citizens’ safety and crime reduction”.

Similar sentiments came from citizens in Malvern. “It looks good… a nice, new place,” said Avis Lewis, who works in a supermarket across from the station. “Now it’s just left to the police to do their work and protect the public,” she added.

Derrick Blackwood, another Malvern resident, argued that the new station was long overdue. “They were actually living in a cell,” he quipped. “I am happy for them.”

A desire for some residents is that the old building, considered a landmark but which is not listed by the National Heritage Trust as a heritage site, will somehow be restored. “I wish they would fix the old building,” said Lewis.

But Blackwood held out very little hope. “It would have been nice if they (authorities) could have restored it, but given the whole economic situation I don’t see it happening,” he said.

There is also doubt as to if, or when, a courthouse previously sited on the top floor of the old building will ever be returned to Malvern.

Residents pointed out that the standing walls of the old building were showing signs of falling apart and that another hurricane could bring it tumbling down with dangerous consequences.

One man who can relate to that danger is barber Cleon Fagan. He was sleeping in his shop next door to the police station and courthouse as Dean raged in 2007. He awoke to find himself buried from toe to chest under rubble, including bricks and large stones from the neighbouring upper floor (courthouse). He managed to dig himself out with a piece of steel and escaped with severe bruising and cuts.