Prolonged problem at Old Harbour police and fire stations escalated

At present both the Old Harbour police and fire stations have been grappling with inactive phone lines, raising serious concerns about public safety and the town’s most essential service providers.

The Old Harbour Police Station has been facing this issue for over a year, while the Old Harbour Fire Station’s main phone line went down two weeks ago. The repercussions of these inactive lines have been alarming, leaving residents feeling vulnerable and unprotected.

“The other day I wanted the police in Old Harbour to come to my house following a home invasion in Church Pen and I call till I weak and no get them, a mi neighbour have a cousin work at the station and call him else I don’t know what I would do cause a night and I have no ride” argued Angella Davis.

The inactive main line of the Old Harbour Police Station poses an imminent threat to the services and security for businesses and residents across communities such as Bodles, Colbeck, Church Pen, Marlie Mount, Gutters, Red Ground, Bannister, New Harbour Village, High House and neighboring areas, leaving them unable to promptly reach law enforcement in times of urgent need.

Celia Morgan, manager of communications, Flow Jamaica acknowledged the failure, citing a stolen cable as the cause of the prolonged disruption at the Old Harbour Police station.

“The copper cable at the Old Harbour Police station was stolen…the process of migration to the new infrastructure will begin and telephone service should be back in place by Monday, June 3,” reported Morgan.

At the time of publishing this article Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Mark Harris, commander in charge of the Old Harbour Police sub-division, says its primary phone line (876 983 2255) has not been restored. 

Addressing the matter, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for the St. Catherine South Police Division Christopher Phillips, stated that proactive measures have been put in place by assigning alternate phone numbers.

“The division has been plagued with the theft of Flow fiber cable but they said some people came to the station on Saturday trying to rectify it. For now, residents can contact us on alternate numbers, for example…[876] 2 0 3 3 6 6 9, and one is [876] 9 8 3 2 2 0 4,” stated SSP Phillips.

However, this quick fix narrowly mitigates the gravity of the situation considering  that residents are still unaware of these contact numbers and the significant duration of the downtime.

Meanwhile, in a recent interview, the Head of the Old Harbour Fire Station, District Officer Micheal Brown expressed bewilderment at the situation, stating that he is not entirely sure of the cause of the problem.

Brown provided an alternative mobile number for residents to report fires, emphasizing the importance of swift action in emergency situations. 

“Residents can call the Spanish Town Fire Station’s phone number and they will relay the message to us via station radio. Some workers even take calls on their personal phone and the station cell number is [876] 8 4 7 1 7 4 7,” advised Brown.

With the absence of a direct phone line to the Old Harbour Fire Station, residents are exposed to delays in emergency responses, underscoring the urgent necessity for a direct communication channel to alleviate the risk of endangering lives and properties within these communities.

Morgan told Old Harbour News that the telephone service at the Old Harbour Fire Station was migrated from the copper network to hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC).

“There was a delay in the migration process because our technical team was not initially granted access, however, the migration process was completed after the matter was escalated to the fire chief,” stated Morgan.

While Flow Jamaica’s reassurances may offer some relief, the incident underscores the critical importance of reliable communication infrastructure for emergency services.

Andrew Hancel, editor, Old Harbour News, said: “I am very surprise that it has taken Flow so long to resolve this important issue at the police station. Most residents of Old Harbour knows only of the 9832255 number. In fact this is the number that only comes up with a Google search. So you can imagine the negative impact this has been having and continues to have on persons trying to reach the station through this medium which is the most common method of all the options available.

“We have published the other alternate numbers but you still hear the complaints from the public. In fact many persons call us directly asking for a number to reach the police station which we are happy to share. But sometimes these calls are in the dead of night and we do not operate a 24-hour service.”

The community of Old Harbour remains vigilant, hoping for swift and lasting solutions to prevent such lapses in the future.