Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie, head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) is urging motorists with unpaid traffic tickets or outstanding traffic warrants to get their house in order, as Operation Transportation Streamline moves into the new year.

“The police, the Transport Authority and the Island Traffic Authority will continue operation Transportation Streamline throughout 2024. We will continue to also target harassers and extortionists of PPV operators,” he said.

ACP McKenzie also had a warning for drivers who use tints that are too dark.

“One of the things that we will also do is to ensure that every public passenger vehicle is able to be viewed, so these dark-tinted vehicles will be a thing of the past,” the traffic boss said.

Operation Transportation Streamline was launched late last year and aims to make roadways safer by improving driver behaviour and addressing any instances of disregard for the law. Hundreds of tickets were issued on the first day of the initiative in October last year, and as the operation ramped up, scores of suspected extortionists were also arrested.

ACP McKenzie disclosed that since the 2024 roll-out on Monday, January 8, some 20 persons have arrested on outstanding warrants and warned that the Police would continue to enforce the law, with support from their transportation sector stakeholders.

“We are ensuring that not only are we going to issue traffic tickets, but where persons fail to attend court and warrants are issued, they are going to be executed,” he said.

“When a warrant is issued by the court, it is a directive to the Police to take the person into custody and to place them before the court at the earliest possible time,” ACP McKenzie warned.

He however pointed out that persons who suspect that a warrant may have been issued for their arrest can make contact with the traffic headquarters to make arrangements to attend court.

“Where this is done, the process will be made convenient. Where the police have to seek and arrest persons, the process will be lawful but may be less flexible,” he stated.

The PSTEB Process Office, which manages warrants and other processes, can be contacted at 876-819-3899.

ACP McKenzie says the aim for 2024 is to improve safety and general public order on the nation’s roadways.

“As we move into 2024, we aim to have a safe roadway. We want a reduction of traffic crashes; we want [driver] behaviour to improve and we want lawfulness to take place on our roads,” he said.