THE EDITOR:

Not for the first time, as I approached a police spot check near the Rubis gas station in Oracabessa, St Mary on Saturday January 7 at 5.40pm, a passenger-carrying minibus overtook me on a solid white line doing much more than 50 km/hr (I was doing just about 50 km/hr).

One of the two officers at the scene was clearly pointing his speed gun in our direction, and looking in our direction.

I turned back to ask the officer with the speed gun why he had let the offender pass by unheeded. He said that since his colleague was already dealing with a motorist, it is policy not to stop another because in that case the colleague could not cover his back if necessary. This doesn’t correspond with the all-to-common situation when there are several cars stopped at a spot check.

So, I then asked what would he have done if they had tried to stop the minibus, and it carried on. No real answer was forthcoming. I asked if in such situations the police ever manage to note the license plate to follow-up. He said occasionally, but sometimes it is a taxi and the driver is not the owner… isn’t there an obvious next step?

Do the speed guns have cameras built in? No, but here are a few on the island that do have cameras, I was told. So Madame Commissioner and Mr Montague, here is something that could be worth funding.

It is so disappointing that for these various reasons and others the police rarely accost the dangerous drivers, instead focusing mostly on easy targets, boasting at how many document-violation tickets they have given. No wonder our road casualty figures remain stubbornly high. It has implications also for vehicles carrying illegal goods or wanted persons – they too are likely not to stop and speed away. Any chance of a back-up police vehicle parked a mile further down the road?

At night, and in the rain, motorists can generally be as illegal as they wish because the police are rarely about at such times. All-in-all, a most unsatisfactory situation.

Paul Ward

Oracabessa, St. Mary

pgward72@gmail.com