Dealing with traffic is not only the business of the traffic police, so says Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who believes that reckless and careless drivers should be made to pay for damage to public property.
On Sunday, February 19, Gonsalves stated, “You have so many damaged public properties, bridges, and rails, and the government must bear the responsibility of repairing them.” “A message must be sent,” he said.
“Case in point, you have one at Casson Hill going down to Arnos Vale; five different places you see the rails are broken, and the police don’t make any case in relation to damage to public property.”
“If you have a fight with a cop and a button on their tunic breaks, they charge for damage to public property, $40, $50, whatever it costs to replace the button, but thousands of dollars of damage, like to the new bridge in Byrea and the one at Mount Young, and nothing.”
Gonsalves that he had discussed the matter with the police commissioner, who in turn had spoken with traffic personnel and police. “This must become part of their DNA, their hard drive,” declared the Prime Minister.
“You are careless or reckless and run into a bridge or any public property; you should pay for it.” I can’t sit in the prime minister’s office and tell you when a rail is hit; that’s why you have police officers. “So I want to raise it; it may appear to be a small thing, but the message would be that you don’t damage or destroy public property willy nilly, or anybody’s property for that matter, but certainly public property,” Gonsalves said.
