The Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority commonly known as URA has declared on Thursday, July 6 that it Zion Road Condo was selling the plot of land along Beach Road, a place where the former police station was located. The former beach road police station is now on sale and is no ordinary property transaction. Well, here are the things you need to know about the former beach road police station;
Former Singapore Police Station at Beach Road
This station has been around for years having been built back in 1931. This only means that the station has seen Singapore changing hands from the British rule, to the Japanese rule and back to the British again. It was also occupied by the Malaysian government. It was then here that it was handed over back to the Singapore government after independence.
This building was built Hillhaven Condo by the colonial government. They built it with the aim of dealing with high crime rates at that time as well as the overgrowing population at the time.
2. Opium and Petrol Selling
In the current age, attempting to buy any drugs at a police stating will get eyebrows raised as well as getting yourself a heavy jail sentence. Dating back to the early 1900’s. drugs were still legal in the area and were sold even in the shops. These drugs earned the government a good revenue. This was about 30 to 50{10dfa83db3c4d8b0fa695a83ca86f458b92ad118447dd730c312c3b7192785cb} revenue to the colonial government.
Such a shop was at the former beach road police station where all these activities took place.
Beach Road Police Station History
3. Family Hosting
Around the late 1950’s, most police stations were offering quarters for their staff and their families. The Beach road station included. The station offered homes to staff and their families for a long period of time.
4. Has a long History
In those long years, the beach road station has experienced many occasions. First, during the Japanese reign, the station operated as a holding station for Chinese, Indians and Jews. As the war was going to a conclusion, it served as an evacuation center for all those fleeing to Rhio Islands.
Police Station Under National Heritage Board
5. From prison to a School
After the police station was closed in 2001, then it became the fourth police station to be named as a historic site by National Heritage Board. The government started to lease out old building to schools and the beach police station was no exception. It was handed over to Raffles Institute design and painted bright Orange. This was from 2007 to 2013.