More traffic cops on the road

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It was a treat to see a young police constable in command and control at the busy intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Hope Road, St Andrew, during the heavy evening traffic on November 19. What a difference it made to have a traffic cop on spot.

Of a truth, a key factor in effective law enforcement is the multiplier effect. It is neither ideal nor is it practical to have a police officer complement sufficient enough to have an officer to be assigned to every citizen or two in order to curtail or solve crime.

Rather, the idea is to have properly crafted laws and regulations, with the capacity to effectively enforce them impartially, and to develop a track record of consistent application and enforcement. Once that is achieved, it will have the effect of wider compliance without there needing to be an officer at every street or on every corner.

Until then, the Constabulary needs to find ways to efficiently target and deploy police officers at strategic locations to enforce law and order.

PASS THE ACT

A force multiplier in traffic management is the efficient application of technology. Alas, the ‘newly’ passed year-old Road Traffic Act languishes without the requisite regulations to put the statute into operation.

The proper deployment of surveillance traffic cameras would allow for effective deployment of the finite number of police officers to the critical spots that require a human presence. Till then, I call upon the Police High Command to consider a more sustained deployment of officers at the most critical traffic points.

CHRISTOPHER PRYCE