The Police force's presence in Warwick is set to get a boost provided that planning officials give a new plan the thumbs up.

The Ministry of Works and Engineering has applied for permission from the Development Applications Board to change the use of the building at 71 Middle Road, Warwick, from a retail thrift shop to a Police office.

And last night, Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness told The Royal Gazette that the plan was for the four Warwick parish constables to use the site.

At the moment, he said, the parish constables had nowhere in the area to work out of, hampering their effectiveness.

With the office they would have somewhere to interview people, keep records and co-ordinate their activities.

Residents in the area have called for a Police sub station which they believed would "do a lot to contain and help eradicate the potential types of crime we have had here for 15 years or so,'' said Mr. Edness.

It was an area which had traditionally had a fairly high crime rate, he added, and it was part of the large western parishes area which is covered by Western Division operating out of Somerset Police Station.

Mr. Edness noted that previous Police Commissioners had not supported the idea of a sub station in Warwick but it appeared that Commissioner Colin Coxall thought the idea of a sub station was a good one.

However, he added that he did not believe that the Commissioner had the resources necessary to man and equip a sub station.

And the funding to operate a sub station for 24 hours a day plus take care of capital expenses was not available, he added.

But while a sub-station was not possible yet, he continued, he hoped that the office would go a long way toward helping the situation.

Mr. Edness added that he hoped the office could possibly develop into a sub station eventually although another location would likely be needed owing to space restrictions.

Quinton Edness