Acting Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken has issued stern instructions to senior traffic to implement strategies to reduce the sudden increase in road fatalities which according to police figures has 18 for the year.
Sixteen persons died during the same period last year, police said.
In an impromptu meeting held yesterday in the conference room at the police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Hicken summoned the force’s regional traffic officers and compelled them to ‘set the pace’ in order to ‘iron-out’ issues hampering the effective implementation of the Traffic Departments’ strategies countrywide.
In statement issued by the police, Hicken told the traffic officers present that “the prevailing traffic lawlessness will not be allowed to continue by the force’s hierarchy” and he upbraided them for their “lapses and underperformance, as well as that of the ranks under their command which has contributed to the issue.” The release went on to say that the Top Cop warned that, “There will be consequences for those who are underperforming.”
A number of issues were raised at the meeting and, according to the release, Hicken instructed that traffic ranks must be stretched along the road corridors as a preventative method to slow down vehicles and curb speeding. The release said that Hicken also ordered that enforcement must be done day and night, with the instruction that the constant stopping of motorists and asking for documents must cease unless the operation is being supervised by an officer. The Acting Top Cop charged his senior officers to cease cellphone communication while directing traffic.
He went further and encouraged his senior officers to make use of the force’s resources, such as bikes and vehicles, and to ‘take the bull by its horn’ to help curb the rising number of road fatalities and road lawlessness. In his bid to ensure the security of the country’s roadways, the release revealed that Hicken rotated several traffic officers in order that they remain active and up-to-date with the traffic department operations across the regions. Hicken said, “we must get this fixed” while also warning that “no haphazard behaviour” will be tolerated.
Present at the meeting were Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Calvin Brutus, and Deputy Commissioner, “Operations”, Ravindradat Budhram.
