West Bay Police Station

West Bay Police Station

The West Bay Police Station has been located near the intersection of Reverend Blackman Road and West Church Street in West Bay for over 40 years. Thirty three (33) officers, comprised of CID, Community Policing Department and Service Delivery, operate from the police station under the management of the Area Commander. Uniform officers provide twenty-four hours patrol coverage for the district and manage all 9-1- 1 calls for service, responding to all reports made by the public that relate to incidents occurring between the Governors House on West Bay Road to Barkers National Park.

The district contains four (4) beat areas managed by resident Community Officers, who work closely with residents to identify emerging common concerns and apply remedial measures to mitigate community impact. Serious crimes are managed and investigated by CID officers, while lower-level crimes are investigated by the patrol teams. All officers, no matter what their assignment, are responsible for proactive patrols to prevent crime, improve community safety and promote peace and tranquility. The officers are also agents of partnership-building and strive to promote partnership and collaboration with other agencies and local residents to tackle some of the social issues that affect the community. Examples of these include excess garbage and littering, lack of street lighting, overgrown shrubbery, derelict buildings and abandoned vehicles that degrade the appearance of the community and foster criminal activities.

The main policing priorities for police in West Bay are:

• The protection of pedestrians and motorists on public thoroughfares through high visibility patrols. Patrolling strategies are established by the assessed need for police in a given area, with the reduction of road collisions and enforcement of traffic offences a main objective.
• The protection of vulnerable people, specifically at-risk youth, victims of domestic violence and persons with disabilities and mental health issues. Officers make every effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of individuals with mental health issues, manage at risk youth to prevent delinquency, and promptly address all domestic violence matters to enable prevention and early intervention.
• The reduction of violence, anti-social behaviour, and breaches of the peace. Officers are conducting directed patrols to address these concerns, and ask that residents take an active role in protecting their neighbourhoods, by reporting suspicious activities and keeping community members informed.

Police-Community Relationships

Officers request more involvement from the public, and for upstanding members in the West Bay community to lend their active support to help the police combat and reduce crime. Residents are strongly encouraged to get involved and participate in neighborhood watches, consultative committees and other citizen action groups. If residents are organized, they can speak with a clear voice about their common concerns and what they feel should be policing priorities.

In response to some of these community requests, West Bay officers have spearheaded different initiatives in the district together with agency partners and residents. Recent examples include a clean-up of derelict buildings in the King Road area together with local business owners and residents, and the removal of derelict vehicles along Watercourse Road with the Department of Environment.