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Police must help maintain pressure

Jul 09, 2009 Editorial

For far too long there have been innumerable complaints about the inability of the police to monitor the movement of traffic on the major roadways. The need for such monitoring is even more critical following recent tragedies.
An Annandale teenager was killed when the vehicle in which she was being transported, slammed into a utility pole at Grove, on the East Bank Public Road. Two days ago, a young taxi driver lost his life when his car collided with a Canter truck in the vicinity of Versailles on the West Bank of Demerara.
What is frightening is that the loss of life could have been much more as the drivers in both instances had absolutely no control of their vehicles.
Two motorcyclists collided and died on the Essequibo Coast over the weekend and this was one accident that could have been avoided.
Because of the fickle nature of people, the police must help maintain pressure on the society. Left to their own devices, the people would invariably resort to anarchy. They would seek to perpetuate the basic instinct that prevails in the jungle—the law of the fittest.
In most countries the police patrol the highways. Indeed this is a costly exercise but the cost of human life is worth every litre of gasoline spent patrolling the streets – our Police Force is also now well equipped, with a number of posh new vehicles. When all is said and done the human element is crucial to every society.
Highway patrols in other countries are the norm. These patrols are supported by hefty penalties that include jail. Drunk driving is undoubtedly a serious offence and repeat offenders not only run the risk of jail time, but they are also banned from driving for life. Breaking the ban leads to even more jail time.
Generally, the penalties for traffic offences have been relatively insignificant so people continue to break the law safe in the knowledge that they could accept whatever the courts offer.
For example, vehicular homicide is not a charge in this country, so there is little chance of the perpetrator ever being made to pay for his reckless driving that would have taken a life. Instead, we have a mundane charge such as causing death by dangerous driving.
And as if to compound the issue, the courts are dilatory. It could be years before a matter is heard and given the rate of migration, the likelihood of a conviction becomes remote because more likely than not, the witnesses leave the jurisdiction by the time the matter is called five or more years down the line.
The police may argue that they do not have the resources, but not so long ago, and with less vehicles in the fleet, the police easily shepherded vehicles traveling from Rosignol. The police would order all vehicles to line up behind a patrol vehicle and when a large enough number is in the line then that motorcade would proceed across West Berbice.
The unfortunate thing is that there is not another patrol waiting at the edge of the region to continue the procession.
The opening of the Berbice River Bridge has limited this aspect of police patrol.
There may be those who will say that grown people should know the difference between right and wrong; that they should be the ones to set the example. However, in this society there are people who must be supervised continuously.
Children and adults alike cross the streets but motorists ignore them, often to the detriment of the pedestrian. This too must change. And the police are the people to effect this change.
Mothers in Black to their credit have repeatedly taken to the streets to highlight this never-ending problem. Had it not been for their determination we would not have had seatbelt regulation.
We may have toughened our laws, but the effects apparently have not registered to some of our citizens.

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