National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Chairman Earl Lambert has raised concerns that while the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has intensified enforcement against reckless drivers, many offenders continue to escape with light penalties owing to weak prosecution in the courts.
At the time, he was speaking on a recent episode of the Road Safety and You programme,
“The prosecution is one of the issues, because if you don’t have strong prosecutors – many times people commit a crime and they get away with it because they lapse in prosecution. I remember in my time, we had, and I’m talking about the 70s, 80s, we had some strong prosecutors. If a prosecutor tells you that you are getting three or six months [in prison], believe it…”, he said.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Carl Pedro, who is attached to the Brickdam Police Station’s traffic department, noted that drivers often return to the roads despite being repeat offenders.
Sergeant Carl Pedro; National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Chairman Earl Lambert, and Analyst at the Home Affairs Ministry, Priya Seepaul
“Once we charge you, we make records, because that’s what we do – we keep records. Once we take you before the court, the court will also have records. We charge you one time, then you appear for the second time before the same Magistrate… the Magistrate will be familiar with your face, and then the prosecution will raise it and tell the Magistrate this driver was before this very court for the same offence,” the officer explained.
While Magistrates have the power to impose stronger penalties, the officer suggested that outcomes often depend on the strength of prosecution.
“Probably the Magistrate or the court was lenient with you for the first time, you come again for the second time, and the third time, they may not be lenient with you. And for more serious offences, like careless and dangerous drivers, they take the demerit points, and you may be disqualified. Your licence may be suspended for a period of six months,” he said.
The officer cited a recent example where a driver, previously before the court for dangerous driving, had his licence suspended for six months after being involved in another accident.
However, there remains frustration that some offenders continue to slip through the net. Lambert recalled a recent incident where a driver was caught on video ignoring traffic ranks’ directions but was granted bail of just $75,000.
“I would have said that, I mean, the blame would go to the Magistrate. But I don’t think the Magistrate alone should be blamed because… if you don’t have strong prosecutors, many times people commit a crime and they get away with it because they lapse in prosecution,” he stressed.
The Government has been working to improve the quality of police prosecution through several reforms. Just a few months ago, the Attorney General’s Chambers announced significant progress had been made to enhance prosecutorial efficiency.
Over 75 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates were trained under a special prosecutors’ programme and are now part of the state’s prosecutorial system, working alongside Police Officers in Magistrates’ Courts across the country.
Legislative changes have also been introduced to accelerate criminal trials, including the abolition of preliminary inquiries, which have been replaced with paper committals. This move is expected to give Magistrates more time to focus on handling trials.
Additional measures include specialised training for Police Prosecutors in collaboration with the School of the Nations, as well as law enforcement bodies such as SOCU and the GRA hiring their own lawyers to manage prosecutions instead of depending solely on the Police.
