Why are motorists still being harassed unnecessarily?

May 31, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
It has been more than two years now since a public statement was issued by the police administration stating that traffic ranks are not allowed to conduct routine stops of drivers and demand to see their documents. They are permitted to intercept a vehicle only if they observe that an offence has been committed.
From the time that statement was made public to date, not one traffic rank in Region Six is complying with it.
Although, it is well known to traffic ranks that ‘random stops’ are no longer enforced, it still happens throughout the Corentyne thoroughfare on a daily basis.
Traffic personnel can be seen at various locations conducting random traffic stops of drivers ordering to see their documents. How long will this continue?
This routine process seems to be perpetual and never-ending.
I clearly recall the words of a columnist of this newspaper in one of his daily columns and I quote, “It is an alleged secret that the juniors raise money from these schemes and senior officers get a percentage.” Can this ‘alleged secret’ be one of the reasons why random stops are ongoing?
The action of these traffic ranks causes one to raise an eyebrow and become suspicious.
On Jan 23, 2016, it was stated in Mr. Freddie Kissoon’s column that the Commissioner of Police made two serious pronouncements, as it relates to random traffic stops. It was mentioned that, “A roadblock must be in the vicinity of a police station” and “Routine traffic stops constitute harassment and are discontinued.”
Even though the Commissioner of Police made it clear that the routine process constitutes ‘harassment’, it still happens. Why are motorists still being harassed unnecessarily?
These ranks are not only engaging in an illegal act when they intercept drivers randomly, but they are also disregarding the instructions sent out by their superiors.
It should be noted, that most of these random intercepts are being done away from the police stations and many drivers can testify to this. Several persons, including myself, wrote on this issue umpteen times, but it all fell on deaf ears. Will these random stops ever come to an end?
I therefore urge the Traffic Chief as well as the Commissioner of Police to look into these ‘random traffic stops’ and do the necessary to bring this public harassment to an end.
Ashan Bacchus

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