Traffic Police revise vehicle pursuit policy

– errant drivers to be summonsed instead

By Samuel Sukhnandan

IIn an effort to reduce collateral damage, injury, and death on the roadways, the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force has moved to revise its vehicular pursuit policy and has decided not to carry out any speed chases.
Traffic Chief Dion Moore told Guyana Times in a recent interview that this new policy aimed to strike the right balance between protecting life and the need to arrest offenders.
“We, the members of the Police Force, will no longer go into speed chases over an errant driver who had committed a minor breach or not riding with a safety helmet,” Moore said.
“Because in the event we were to go into any speed chase, it is likely more serious injuries being done that could have been prevented,” the Traffic Chief added.
However, once the Police get the identification of the vehicle in question, the next step would be to proceed by way of summons, by getting the relevant information from the authorities.
Moore told this publication that the new policy dictated that a police officer shall not pursue a car or motorcycle, as long as the identification mark is recognised.
He said the safety of the public was of paramount importance and it was always better to safeguard members of the public than to catch a driver who would have committed a minor infraction.
The Traffic Chief complained that there were still many motorcyclists riding without safety helmets, posing a major problem for traffic officials. “Safety helmets offer protection to the rider and pillion in the event of an accident to reduce injury,” he stressed.
Some high-speed Police chases have led to the death of innocent bystanders and other persons in Guyana. While some were done as a result of the threat to public safety or a serious offence being committed, some did not warrant exposing the public to the immense risks of a chase.
Although efforts have been made to mitigate these risks through restrictive rules, officers still largely retain the individual agency to initiate chases, and they often choose to pursue.
Meanwhile, most recently, the Police Traffic Department said it recorded a 26 per cent decline in fatal accidents for the period beginning January 1, 2017 to May 15, 2017. Thirty-six fatal accidents and 40 deaths were recorded, compared to 50 fatal accidents and 54 deaths over the same period last year.
There was also a 39 per cent decrease in overall accidents for the same period, as 398 accidents have been recorded, as opposed to 651 accidents the previous year.
“This decrease that we achieved is as a result of the enforcement strategies that we implemented in terms of maximising the use of breathalysers and the radar gun. And some of it is because of how we conduct our education campaigns, working with youth groups and schools,” Moore stated.
Operation Safeway was also credited for the success. Through this operation, traffic ranks have been on the roads conducting rigid exercises throughout the country, but more particularly in Georgetown, and on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding were the most prevalent traffic offences.