The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) is making strides in upgrading its facilities across both islands, though several critical infrastructure challenges remain to be addressed in 2025, Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney said.

During an OBSERVER AM, interview the Commissioner addressed the completion of several major projects in 2024, including that of “the Bolans Station – an entirely new police station” and renovations at the All Saints unit.

Work, he added, continues on the force’s flagship facility, the St John’s Police Station, adding that “the CID wing was completed already” while the eastern wing remains under renovation.

The Commissioner acknowledged earlier delays in the St John’s project, explaining that there had been issues with the contractor. However, he expressed optimism about recent progress, stating that “they have since returned and they (the contractors) have made quite a bit of progress”, with expectations to resume use of the eastern wing early this year.

A pressing concern for the force is the situation in Barbuda, where police facilities destroyed by hurricane damage are yet to be repaired, even as other essential infrastructure has been restored. “The schools have been fixed. The hospital has been fixed; the police station has not received its attention as yet,” Rodney said, emphasizing that “there’s a great need for Barbuda to have a police station”.

The ABDF faces additional challenges with several stations operating from rented facilities rather than purpose-built structures. We need a police station in Willikies. It is in a rented property. Coolidge is still in a rented property,” the Commissioner explained.

He stressed the importance of purpose-built facilities that accommodate “the different offices and the different things that you need in a station”.

The Police Training Academy has been identified as another priority for infrastructural development. While acknowledging the academy’s historic contribution—”it has trained so many of us”—Rodney said that the current facility, housed in an old estate house, requires significant upgrades.

However, he acknowledged that “if you want to do the accommodation part or the classroom part, there are things that we can do progressively.”

Plans are also advancing for the establishment of a national forensics lab, he added, with a building already identified and retrofitted. However, Rodney clarified that this facility will operate independently of the police force.

“The idea of the forensic lab in Antigua is not to be a police lab, but to be a national forensic lab,” he explained, noting that while police personnel may be seconded to the facility, “in terms of the control of the lab, the idea behind it is to have an independent national forensic lab.”

While proposals and plans have been drawn up for many of these projects, Commissioner Rodney acknowledged that implementation timelines will depend on financial considerations. “At the end of the day, it’s not our decision in terms of the finance,” he said while expressing hopes that at least some of the proposed improvements can begin in 2025.