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PNP undermining Spanish Town RM court
Frustrated staff stay away from Spanish Town RM Court
Kimmo Matthews
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
ACTIVITIES at the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court, St Catherine, were reduced to a crawl yesterday after several workers, apparently frustrated by the condition of the building, did not turn up for work.
"Because of the development, a number of cases were rescheduled," one police source, who asked not to be named, told the Jamaica Observer.
Officials posted several notices on doors and windows of the court informing the public about the development.
Yesterday, as the Observer sought to get additional information, sources at the court said they could not guarantee that activities would return to normal today.
A notice posted on the court's premises, addressed to attorneys-at-law and members of the public from the court administrator advised that because of "some administrative challenges at the Court" most staff members had not attended work, making it impossible for a sitting of the court to be held in the Resident Magistrate's jurisdiction.
The Observer was also told that RM Court sittings in Linstead were affected as no clerk showed up.
A later statement from the Court Management Services (CMS) said the operations at St Catherine Resident Magistrate's Court were being affected by staff calling in sick.
According to CMS, a number of executives, along with the principal executive officer, yesterday visited the Court and made arrangements to address concerns raised about malfunctioning air- conditioning units. The CMS said technicians have been contacted to conduct repairs to the malfunctioning units, and it is anticipated that some units would be functioning in the shortest possible time.
In relation to other general infrastructure issues, which were also raised with CMS executives, it was said that the St Catherine Resident Magistrate's Court is one of the many courts that the CMS has identified as being in the greatest need of major infrastructural repairs or relocation. According to CMS, discussions have been held with the Ministry of Justice, which has responsibility for such projects, and speedy action is anticipated in this area.
"The CMS will continue to seek to address those infrastructural issues which it can, through its general maintenance schedule, however the entity does hope for a more long-term solution to the challenges," the statement said.
But a document obtained by the Observer from the building and property management arm of the Courts and directed to the director of special projects, outlined in alarming detail the gravity of the situation that has frustrated the workers.
"It has come to our attention that the Rodney Memorial Building is in a very bad condition. There is severe damage to the wood in the building, including windows, doors, flooring and the timber beams that support the floor," the document stated.
"The termite damage to the joists that support the flooring is of great concern, as the administration office houses large volumes of heavy files and cabinets. Some areas of the floor show signs of sagging, which may be an early indication of collapse," it said further.
"While Building and Property Management does not have the technical skills in-house to make a definitive statement on the soundness of the structure, we are requesting the services of a structural engineer to visit the site and make a report on how safe the building is to be occupied by court staff in its present condition, and what steps need to be taken to rectify the situation if it is not safe," the document read further.
Building and Property Management said following this, CMS will then be in a position to make recommendations on how to proceed with the occupation of the building and forward the information to the Ministry of Justice, if necessary.
"Due to the potential danger this issue surrounds, we are asking that this be treated with high priority," the correspondence said further.
Kimmo Matthews
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
ACTIVITIES at the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court, St Catherine, were reduced to a crawl yesterday after several workers, apparently frustrated by the condition of the building, did not turn up for work.
"Because of the development, a number of cases were rescheduled," one police source, who asked not to be named, told the Jamaica Observer.
Officials posted several notices on doors and windows of the court informing the public about the development.
Yesterday, as the Observer sought to get additional information, sources at the court said they could not guarantee that activities would return to normal today.
A notice posted on the court's premises, addressed to attorneys-at-law and members of the public from the court administrator advised that because of "some administrative challenges at the Court" most staff members had not attended work, making it impossible for a sitting of the court to be held in the Resident Magistrate's jurisdiction.
The Observer was also told that RM Court sittings in Linstead were affected as no clerk showed up.
A later statement from the Court Management Services (CMS) said the operations at St Catherine Resident Magistrate's Court were being affected by staff calling in sick.
According to CMS, a number of executives, along with the principal executive officer, yesterday visited the Court and made arrangements to address concerns raised about malfunctioning air- conditioning units. The CMS said technicians have been contacted to conduct repairs to the malfunctioning units, and it is anticipated that some units would be functioning in the shortest possible time.
In relation to other general infrastructure issues, which were also raised with CMS executives, it was said that the St Catherine Resident Magistrate's Court is one of the many courts that the CMS has identified as being in the greatest need of major infrastructural repairs or relocation. According to CMS, discussions have been held with the Ministry of Justice, which has responsibility for such projects, and speedy action is anticipated in this area.
"The CMS will continue to seek to address those infrastructural issues which it can, through its general maintenance schedule, however the entity does hope for a more long-term solution to the challenges," the statement said.
But a document obtained by the Observer from the building and property management arm of the Courts and directed to the director of special projects, outlined in alarming detail the gravity of the situation that has frustrated the workers.
"It has come to our attention that the Rodney Memorial Building is in a very bad condition. There is severe damage to the wood in the building, including windows, doors, flooring and the timber beams that support the floor," the document stated.
"The termite damage to the joists that support the flooring is of great concern, as the administration office houses large volumes of heavy files and cabinets. Some areas of the floor show signs of sagging, which may be an early indication of collapse," it said further.
"While Building and Property Management does not have the technical skills in-house to make a definitive statement on the soundness of the structure, we are requesting the services of a structural engineer to visit the site and make a report on how safe the building is to be occupied by court staff in its present condition, and what steps need to be taken to rectify the situation if it is not safe," the document read further.
Building and Property Management said following this, CMS will then be in a position to make recommendations on how to proceed with the occupation of the building and forward the information to the Ministry of Justice, if necessary.
"Due to the potential danger this issue surrounds, we are asking that this be treated with high priority," the correspondence said further.
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