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Public must cooperate with police at roadblocks – Traffic Chief
Kaieteur News – Traffic Chief and Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Ashram, is calling on the public to work along with his ranks during routine traffic stops, especially at roadblocks. This call comes following the circulation of several videos on social media showing verbal confrontations between police ranks and motorists.These confrontations would often be centered around a recent statement the Traffic Chief made on a radio programme. Ashram had said that traffic ranks must not randomly pull over vehicles just to check for documents.
In recent times, many drivers have been using this statement to their advantage by failing to stop at roadblocks or complying when a cop asks them to produce their documents.
Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Ashram
One example of such a scenario was captured in a cellphone-recorded video that went viral on social media during the past week.
The video showed a heated verbal confrontation between a police officer and a motorist at a roadblock that was set up just in front of the Sparendaam Police Station located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
The officer had pulled over the man during a roadblock exercise and asked him for his documents. The citizen instead of complying came out of his car and started videoing the lawman. He was heard telling the policeman that he has no sense and education. The cop during the confrontation then quoted a section of the law to justify his actions.
Noting that it might be a case where motorists have misunderstood his statement, the Traffic Chief Ashram decided to shed some clarity on the matter during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Ashram told DPI that the confrontations are stemming from comments he made in May, where he urged police ranks not to stop motorists only to check for documents. Those comments were made on the virtual programme ‘Police and You.’
In clarifying the issue, the Traffic Chief said that his comments were taken out of context. He stated that he called on police officers not to check for documents during the peak hours in order to allow for the free flow of traffic. Those hours are between 7:00am and 9:00am and between 2:00pm and 6:00pm.
Additionally, the Traffic Chief explained that his call for officers not to check for documents during peak hours does not apply during a police exercise, such as a roadblock.
“If the police are carrying out an exercise, you have to comply with the police, do not use the statement how you want to use it or for your own benefit because the police are covered under the Law, under Cap 16:01,” said Ashram.
Ashram made a public appeal for motorists to comply with the police during routine exercises.
“I am appealing to members of the public, whether drivers or pedestrians and the public as a whole, to cooperate with the police, listen to the police,” he urged during the DPI interview.
He added, “If you tell yourself at a stop or roadblock you were treated unfairly, you can take that rank’s number and name, report the matter to the a superior and action would be taken.”
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