Drivers should stop when asked to by the police to

Jan 24, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
“They are under instructions to stop a vehicle only if they observe a violation has occurred,” is a quote from Freddie Kissoon’s column in Saturday’s edition of your newspaper.
“I have instructed my daughter not to stop if a traffic rank pulls her in at random. I will put a photocopy of this column in her car and she is advised to show the traffic cop it. He can ignore it if he wants but my advice to my daughter is once she is driving normally and does not commit a violation the police cannot make a routine pull-over.” This is another excerpt from the same column. I am confused and perhaps so is Freddie. He says he has instructed his daughter not to stop yet speaks about her showing the traffic cop a copy of his column.
Of course Freddie might not be confused. He perhaps anticipates that the traffic cop would be in hot pursuit of his daughter and rather than cause an accident which could claim her life and that of innocent others, she would eventually stop then show the cop his column.
The real issue for my penning this letter however is Freddie’s promoting the view that, because the police are under instructions not to make routine stops, then motorists should ignore the instructions of the police if they feel they have not committed a violation. Well, in my view this is promoting lawlessness. Who is going to admit that they committed a violation? In some cases motorists may commit a violation without even recognizing it. Just a little swerve can be considered driving without due care and attention and thus be a violation.
The bottom line is that if a uniformed policeman or woman indicates that a motorist or even a pedestrian needs to stop, then that person must stop. The reasonableness and legality of the stop can be challenged in due course. To allow people to determine whether or not they should follow the instructions of the police will produce as confusing a society as Freddie’s column.
Wesley Kirton

Editor’s note: The police instructions make it clear that routine stops to examine drivers’ documents have ceased. One would assume instructions to stop for other purposes continue

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