Police to be more proactive with breathalyzer

Jul 20, 2010 News

Traffic Chief, Neil Semple, said that the police will be adopting a more proactive approach to deal with persons who drive under the influence of alcohol.
The Traffic Chief was responding to concerns that despite the acquisition of breathalyzers, motorists continue to imbibe alcohol and use the road in a reckless manner, posing severe danger to other road users.
Police standard operational procedure is to apply the breathalyzer test to persons following an accident.
But according to Semple, the focus will shift to applying the test when the police suspect that a driver might have imbibed alcohol above the prescribed limit.
The prescribed limit is below the equivalent of three beers.
It was observed that most motorists use the time when there are no traffic ranks on the road to imbibe and then pose a threat to other road users.
While figures do not indicate the time of most road accidents and when fatalities occur, it is believed that many motorists are at risk between 02:00 and 05:00 hours.
“That is the time when everybody leaves the clubs and by then most of them are drunk. Even senior officials of the government, judges and senior police officers are guilty of this,” one traffic rank observed.
The Traffic Chief acknowledged that this state of affairs will require more diligence on the part of the police.
“More work is to be done in that area, since we’ve got complaints of persons imbibing in alcohol in the wee hours of the morning and we will be addressing that problem,” Semple said.
But with the limited manpower resources available to the police, this could turn out to a Herculean task.
“The strategies that we use in the daytime are ineffective in the nights. For example at nights you cannot use the radar so this is when the breathalysers are most useful, if used in a proactive way,” one traffic rank reasoned.
For the first half of this year, the number of road accidents and fatalities has decreased when compared with the same period last year.
At the end of June last year a total of 48 accidents occurred, resulting in the death of 53 persons, among them six children.
The statistics show that as of June 30, this year, there was a 10 per cent decrease in the number of road fatalities.
Semple said that records show that 48 persons died on the roadways, including four children.
He explained that passengers of public transportation also have a part to play in reducing the number of accidents and fatalities.
“Many of them will see and know that a driver had been consuming alcohol and still allow that person to get in the driver’s seat,” he stated.
Another bone of contention is the destruction of public property by road users who often get away without sanction.
It was observed that most accidents which result in damage to public property occur whenever there is an absence of traffic ranks.
In these cases, the errant motorists remove their vehicles before anyone finds out who is responsible.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that the administration is currently working on building capacity within the Guyana Police Force to address the issue.
“I hope that one day we will have at each major intersection a car squad. In law enforcement there is no perfect strategy,” the Minister told this newspaper.

Latest News

Police to be more proactive with breathalyzer

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Alarm in West Indies over radical two-division plan for Test cricket

After 18 years hiatus, West Indies arrive in...

Uniting through Futsal

Westside Golf Course Opens 2025 with $100K...

Hardaiow, Mahabeer cop best batter and bowler...

FL Sport extends support to Polly’s Nursery...

Features/Columnists

The Horse Racing Authority Bill will solve nothing!

Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves

Guyanese at the movies

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Police to be more proactive with breathalyzer

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]