BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RECENT events which resulted in the deaths of two children have led to a resuscitated call for the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force to create and build out an independent traffic patrol unit.
Austin Williams – who was Commissioner of Police for several years up until August, 2011 – took to his Facebook page yesterday (Jan. 15) and explained that with 107 miles of road for the Traffic Department to police – on St. Kitts alone – it would be difficult for that Department to tackle both the administrative and practical aspects.
“…I am politely asking that we have an independent traffic patrol unit separate from the Traffic Department. The Traffic department is more administration. Now in St. Kitts we have 107 miles of roads to police. The open roads afford motorists many opportunities to break all and every law and emboldened criminals to go around and commit crimes without fear of being intercepted,” an excerpt of the post read.
It continued, “We have a population of 50,000 people, yes, well that's against over 30,000 vehicles. Well a traffic patrol unit will be our best help to enforce bus stop regulations, cell phone use, no helmet, littering and all the other offences you can think of. This Unit will go a long way to make all motorists change their behaviour on the road. To all drivers please be a defensive driver.”
Speaking with SKNVibes, the former Commissioner further explained that having an independent unit would see increased and constant police visibility and presence on the Federation’s highways and byways
“My thinking is that we have so many vehicles on the road now, more than in recent times. We look to the Traffic Department for everything and that is because the outstations are under-strengthed, the Police Force is under-strengthed… Everybody looks to the Traffic Department. They might be able to manage the administration part of it but you can’t look to them to patrol the road. And so you need an independent patrol unit to do 24 hour patrols so that motorists could be on notice that they should control their speed and obey the regulation because they just might encounter traffic police.”
Ask why he did not make the move to institute such a unit during his tenue as Commissioner, Williams explained that suggestions or attempts were made but it did not come to fruition. He further explained that when he retired from the Police Force, he indicated that this was one of the programmes he would have liked to see instituted.
In recent times however, Williams explained, he has had reason to echo the call he had previously made.
“The recent deaths of two children is one of the reasons I have resuscitated the idea… I have been making the call for years but more recently, with the death of ‘Broadie’. I was saying then that they must make the regulation to enforce bus stops where you must pick up passengers at the bus stops and bus stops only. That has been done but there is no enforcement. That is one of the areas the independent traffic patrol unit would concentrate on. All the small regulations, they would be able to enforce them… Drivers would be aware that they may run into a traffic patrol so they would be mindful of their speed etc.”
Williams suggested that Traffic Wardens and other individuals be properly trained and set to function as part of the unit.
“Traffic wardens could be properly trained and placed two in each vehicle to do four-hour shifts… That would be…more practicable and appropriate. Train them and get a unit set up, a 24-man unit with maybe six vehicles and they take it from there. They could go through the entire island. If it cannot be done simultaneously on both islands, begin in St. Kitts and then take it to Nevis…”
Describing such a unit as “important and necessary”, Williams said it could held in saving lives.
One week ago present Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley, speaking at his first lecture for the year, indicated that road safety would be one of the Force’s focal points for 2017.
“Another focus for us will be on road safety and traffic. We’ve had a lot of issues. We believe a lot of times when little things go unchecked, that they develop into larger things. And so, a focus will also be on road safety.”
He listed “wanton speeding throughout communities” and inappropriate tinting of vehicles as some of the problem areas. And he told his subordinates that a more proactive approach to policing these areas would be demanded of them.
