Page 7 - Observer January 20, 2017

LOCAL NEWS The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Friday January 20, 2017 Page 7
Former COP Williams calls

for Independent Traffic Unit

following Minor Deaths

By Loshaun Dixon every day and wouldn’t manpower used in the
cause so many accidents traffic department could
Basseterre, St. Kitts- and losing lives on the be better used elsewhere.
Former Commissioner of road as well,” he
Police Austin Williams declared. “If you were around long
believes St. Kitts and enough you would know
Nevis should create an He explained how the that in Basseterre you
independent traffic patrol unit could successfully would always see a
unit that would serve as a patrol the streets. policeman on the road.
watch dog for traffic Now you hardly see
violations in the that and if you check
Federation separate in the villages you
from the Police would hardly see
Force. police on the road.
The man power needs
The suggestion to be increased and
comes following a not even increased to
dark week when two more than what it is
children were killed but to what it is on the
in traffic accidents. books,” he said.
The drivers in both
instances were He noted that the
charged with causing police force is it is
death by reckless dri- about 100 individuals
ving. under strength and an
Retired CoP Austin Williams audit should be done
In a social media (File Photo) to identify where
post on Sunday, Mr. improvements are
Williams said in St. needed.
Kitts there are now 107 “The unit could be set up
miles of roads to police with 10 or 12 vehicles He said the traffic patrol
and the open road affords with 24 personnel and could assist in security
motorists opportunities there are four shifts for motorists while they
“to break all and every doing 24-hour patrol. are on the road.
law and emboldened They can train some peo-
criminals to go around ple and have a continu- “If you have the traffic
and commit crimes with- ous patrol daily. Divide patrol unit it will help
out fear of being inter- the island into four zones solve all that because
cepted.” and have a vehicle in people would be mindful
each zone for 24 hours,” of them on the road and
In an interview with The he said. they wouldn’t be doing
Observer, the Former the things that they feel
Commissioner of Police Williams noted a signifi- free to do now,” he said.
expanded on his idea to cant increase in the vehi-
establish the independent cles that are currently on Williams praised current
patrol. the streets and said peo- Commissioner of Police
ple cannot be stopped Ian Queeley for “doing a
He said it was a a propos- from buying vehicles. great job.”
al that he has been
putting forward for a “Vehicles continue to “You have to work with
long time but I found it come in. Just recently it what you have. This
necessary to highlight it was two and a half per- very instance of the traf-
again following the sons per vehicle but now fic and criminals getting
recent road fatalities. is more than that. You to go around undetected
have to put things in is no fault of the
“We have so many acci- place to control that,” he Commissioner,” he said.
dents and we have so said.
many vehicles on the Lack of proper resources
road and the traffic When he served as and manpower are two of
department as it is has to Commissioner of Police the major issues affecting
administer all 30,000 he said he made efforts to the current Commis-
vehicles in the country,” establish the unit but sioner of Police, he said.
he said. could not garner the
required support to suc- Last week at his inaugur-
The retired police officer cessfully implement it. al Commissioner’s
said he belives the unit Lecture, Commissioner
would help curb traffic “I tried. I can show you Queeley spoke of the
violations as it is very writing and even in my Police Department’s
difficult for the traffic exit speech I indicated plans to crack done on
department to patrol the that was one of the things traffic offenses in 2017.
roads. I was sorry I didn’t get to
put in place. It was not “We’ve had a lot of
“We can’t depend on the my fault, I just did not issues. We believe a lot
outstations because they get the cooperation,” he of times when little
are short staffed in most said. things go unchecked, that
cases. I believe the traf- they develop into larger
fic patrol unit will be Williams said such a unit things. And so, a focus
able to enforce the minor could assist in helping to will also be on road safe-
laws that are broken bring crime down as the ty,” Mr. Queeley said.

C M Y K