I wondered who the workmen were. “Prisoners from the jail,” I was informed. “It is part of a community project. The next building to be renovated will be the old police station at Sandy Hill.”

I decided to investigate the story behind this sudden passion for making Anguilla’s buildings sparkle.

Renovated Environmental Health Building

The site of the old police station, known as Fort Hill, and the building itself, were vested to the Anguilla National Trust (ANT) by the Government of Anguilla in 2003, to preserve the historical and archaeological significance of the site and to increase the financial viability of the ANT. Damien Hughes, the Trust’s Director, gave me some background information. “Both the building and the site are of archaeological and historical significance.” He told me. “Several artefacts such as zemi (local deities, worshipped in the form of sculptures or relief carvings by Caribbean peoples of the Taino culture) and pottery from Taino settlements have been found on the site. It also served as the place where the British fought off the French for ownership of the island.”

I contacted Anguilla’s Historian, Mr. Colville Petty, and am indebted to him for the following information. “On 21st May 1745, in retaliation for the 1744 Anguillian-led attempt to capture French St Martin, when three hundred Anguillians and privateers from St Kitts “took possession of it”, two French frigates entered Crocus Bay where seven hundred men came ashore and attempted to take the island. It took Governor Hodge and a militia of one hundred and fifty men about fifteen minutes to force them to retreat with thirty-two men killed and twenty-five wounded. Fifty were taken prisoner.” After a peaceful interval “the French Revolutionary Government declared war on England leading to Anguilla’s invasion in November 1796. The warships Le Desius and La Vaillante landed four hundred men at Rendezvous Bay who advanced, destroying trading vessels and, in The Valley, they “burnt the little town, pulled down the church, stabbed men in their houses and stripped women of their clothes.” The Anguillian militia was pushed towards the Sandy Hill Fort where they halted the French advance. Assistance was summoned by fast sailing boat and a British frigate, Lapwing, proceeded to Anguilla. On seeing Lapwing, the French abandoned their siege of Sandy Hill Fort and took to their ships. During the ensuing naval battle both French frigates were lost.”

“The current building was built in the 1960s to serve as a radio station,” Damien Hughes continued. “Its strategic position is perhaps what drove it to be used as one of the community police stations on the island.”

I met Her Majesty’s Prison Service Acting Superintendent Neville Hamilton, Luke Azille, Sentence Planning Coordinator and Brian Hull, Activities Organizer, at Fort Hill. The building was last used in the late 1990s. It is now a hive of activity. Damien explained that “The renovation plan for the building is to restore it to rentable/leasable condition, recognizing that it was in a serious state of disrepair. This entails ensuring that there are quality electrical and plumbing services in place. It also means providing the necessary infrastructure in the building that would make it marketable to various potential lessees. The electricity, plumbing, windows, tiling and doors in the building had to be completely replaced. The short term plan for the building is to lease it and generate financial resources that can be reinvested into the development of the site to the point where the ANT can showcase its historical and archaeological value.” Scaffolding covered most of one wall on my visit and prisoners were busily working high up on the building.

The Prison Officers explained that the work is part of a Community Programme, a new concept which forms part of Prisoner Sentence Planning. The Programme finds useful work for prisoners and generates funds, whilst rehabilitating and preparing prisoners for release back into the community. The Programme utilizes skills that the inmates possess which are passed on to others; ensuring new skills can be used to benefit the community. Prisoners wishing to join the Programme must demonstrate their commitment to it by meeting behavioral targets. Being part of the Programme is seen as a privilege and is offered to those who demonstrate acceptance of their sentence and rehabilitation plan. Damien Hughes was keen to support this aspect of Prisoner Sentence Planning when deciding on who should undertake the renovation of Fort Hill: “I am a firm believer that prison should carry a strong sense of rehabilitation if it is to serve the overarching purpose for which it is used by the courts. In Anguilla, the prison system has not always had a strong rehabilitation aspect to it, but with more and more young men finding themselves in prison, their ability to become productive citizens once they leave is based on their ability to be rehabilitated. I considered the several projects of the ANT as starting points for this rehabilitation.”

Other sites across the island, including public conveniences in Long Bay, a private residence in South Hill, several Government compounds as well as the Environmental Health Building, have been renovated. The Programme offers good quality work at a fair price. As Damien Hughes points out, “The renovations have been costly but not as costly as they would have been had we gone with a private contractor. The complete cost of renovations inclusive of labour and material is US$20,000.00.”

A new Aids Programme is being devised to further prisoner rehabilitation and the officers wish to raise the Prison Service’s profile as the Eleventh Anniversary of the move to the current prison site approaches on 10th October. It is clear that Anguilla will hear more of the occupants of Her Majesty’s Prison in the near future.

The Fort Hill project began on 20 June and is nearing completion. The HM Prison Service Community Programme is seeking new projects. Email Acting Superintendent Neville Hamilton for more details - hamiej2@yahoo.com

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