WESTERN BUREAU – General secretary of the National Association of Taxi Operators Egerton Newman yesterday threatened an islandwide cabbie strike next Tuesday if no action is taken against three cops accused of beating a Negril cabbie and breaking his wrist.

Newman issued the ultimatum after a brief and peaceful protest by taxi operators in the resort town. There are about 20,000 cabbies in his grouping but it is unclear just how much influence he has over their actions.

Clinton Dawkins, 25, said three cops beat him in the Negril Car Park last Wednesday after he failed to obey orders to produce his papers during a spot check along the Savanna-la-Mar to Negril route. He refused to co-operate and drove away, he admitted, because he was not convinced that the police officer had properly used the radar gun to assess his speed.

According to Dawkins, about 10 minutes after he got to the car park, three cops drove into the facility and took turns assaulting him. He was then dragged to the Negril police station, he said, where a cop beat him with a baton, breaking his wrist. He was thrown in jail, before being released later that day.

The cabbie’s account of the incident, along with persons who said they had witnessed the beating, has spurred the Negril business community to get involved.

“I saw when the policeman ride in (the car park) and start to beat up the young man and talking to him in angry terms. Before the cab driver could do anything, the other officers came and start to box the guy in his face,” school teacher Jean Brown told the Observer.

Yesterday, president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce Cliff Reynolds met with Newman and the deputy superintendent of police in charge of the Negril Police Station Deleita Taylor to discuss the issue.

“In light of the allegations, we want to make sure that the truth comes out and the law must take its course. It would be very unfortunate that these allegations are true, but let us see where the investigations lead,” Reynolds said.

Meanwhile DSP Taylor, who was only transferred to the area on Wednesday, said the Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the incident.