Dear Editor,
My letter is directed at the Alberttown Police Station and relates to excessively loud music played 12 hours each day from 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. from a mobile makeshift caravan parked on the parapet.
Let me begin first by acknowledging the professionalism of some of the officers at the station. I have had reason to call the station several times over the past three weeks to report the loud music coming from a makeshift shack obliquely opposite where I live just two houses away.
“Noise disturbance” means any unwanted sound including vibration that annoys, disturbs, or perturbs normal persons with reasonable sensitivities.
Whenever I called to report a “noise disturbance”, officers answered the phone professionally, took my contact number, got the location of the source of the noise disturbance and advised me that a patrol would investigate. The source of the noise disturbance is an unlicensed, non-tax paying makeshift, mobile trailer-van-shack-turned bar and takeaway service.
My family is entitled to live their life undisturbed by my neighbour’s noise. The offending party would turn down the music to tolerable levels. For around 3 or four days/nights the music would be played at tolerable levels and then the guilty party would revert to playing loud music to attract patrons. It is the typical cat-and-mouse game.
As you know, loud music is a violent invasion of a person’s personal space. My relatives and children find it difficult to study in the evenings especially when the music played is Brazilian or Cuban with its heavy percussion and thumping drumbeats. It is very disturbing and psychologically nerve-racking.
My question: What is the official policy and protocol for dealing with noise nuisance? Do officers make and keep records of reported instances of noise nuisance? What is the penalty for repeat offenders?
It doesn’t make sense having to call the Police Station twice every week to report the same repeat offence. In more developed countries, on the first report of an offence, it is recorded, and the offending party is given a written notice, and advised if the offence is repeated more drastic measures would be taken. What is the process in Guyana?
Regards,
Mr. Anthony Willis, M.A. MCAS.
CEO, Innovation Consultancy
