The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are collaborating to tackle noise nuisance during the upcoming holiday season and persons who fail to comply with the law will be prosecuted.
“The police are going to work assiduously along with the EPA to ensure that we be proactive in dealing with noise nuisance. More so, we want to be fair in our deliberation, we want to be fair in the delivery of our service and by all means we want to bring good results,” Assistant Superintendent Mohan Khan, who is stationed at Impact Base, Brickdam Police Station, said in a video posted on the force’s Facebook page.
According to Khan, when complaints of noise nuisance are made, the police are expected to take immediate action.
However, he said in most instances, their efforts are futile since persons are fearful of providing them with information.
Khan explained that in the event that permission is granted by the EPA for music to be played and a complaint is received, the police’s first course of action is to issue a warning. “The police would administer a warning to turn the music or whatever instrument is being used to a moderate or some acceptable standard,” he said.
But, upon leaving, the situation would return… resulting in further intervention. “…The police would instruct for the music to turn off and most times upon leaving persons would capitalize on the absence of the police and put the music back on,” Khan noted.
The alternative then, Khan said would be for the police to seize the instrument/s creating the noise and institute the requisite charges.
However, according to Khan, often times the complainant in such matters refuse to provide the police with a statement. When this happens, he said the police cannot go ahead with the matter.
Khan is calling on members of the public and businesses to cooperate with the police and comply with the law. “It is not a step that we want to prosecute persons. We want everybody to have an enjoyable time,” he said.
Noise nuisance is a criminal offence in accordance with Section 174 A of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act.
Sections of 174 A states: “(1) No person shall, in any road, street, public place or land or in any building or premises, by operating or causing or suffering to be operated any stereo set, jukebox, radio, wireless loud speaker, gramophone, amplifier, automatic piano or similar instrument of music or by any other means whatsoever, make or cause or suffer to be made any noise which shall be so loud and so continuous or repetitive as to cause a nuisance to occupants of any premises in the neighbourhood.
“(2) Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than seven thousand five hundred dollars nor more than fifteen thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months and on a second or any subsequent conviction to a fine of not less than ten thousand dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars and to imprisonment for twelve months.”
