‘Cops were not denied toll road access’
JCF welfare director clarifies inaccuracies surrounding death of constable
DEPUTY superintendent of police (DSP) and welfare director of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Raymond Wilson is asserting that no police officers were denied access to the north-south leg of Highway 2000 while seeking to assist now-deceased constable, Donald Carr on Saturday night, following a motor vehicle accident.
In a written statement DSP Wilson, a former chairman of the Police Federation, expressed condolence to Carr’s relatives and colleagues. At the same time, Wilson highlighted that a police team led by him participated in rescue efforts on Saturday night and said the claims that cops were denied access were inaccurate.
“Based on my personal involvement in the events I wish to provide clarification based on the narratives that I have read. The north-south highway toll does not require special access to enter the toll road. You are only required to pay when exiting,” Wilson said.
“Yes, the police did pay when exiting. St Ann vehicle number one of two — that was transporting Constable Carr to hospital — paid when they exited the Golden Grove ramp and re-entered the highway. The shift commander was only advised of the incident sometime after 11:00 pm, even though he was at work since 7:00 pm. Which group of police tried to access the toll to rescue Constable Carr prior to the arrival of the St Ann police and were denied due to a lack of money? The answer is: None,” Wilson stated.
Wilson added that the first to respond to the crash were personnel from the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (Psteb)/highway patrol. He pointed out that members of the PSTEB team are given toll passes “as they are the ones who patrol the toll”, and that they had no issues entering or exiting the toll.
“Except for the PSTEB members, only the St Ann police entered the toll to assist and they encountered little problems only when exiting with Constable Carr. However, the delay that resulted lasted for just a few minutes as the police paid at the Golden Grove toll and drove through then lifted the barrier and drove through at the Mammee Bay toll without paying.
“The shift commander who drove St Ann vehicle number two and who was transporting the injured female passenger was allowed to exit both tolls without having to pay, after advising the security and the toll operator of the emergency. There was some reluctance by the operator but the security directed them to allow the police to exit, and that was done without much delay,” he said.
Notwithstanding this clarification, Wilson said all aspects of the matter are being taken seriously and investigations are being pursued to accurately pinpoint what gaps existed. He said the issue surrounding cops having access to toll roads must be resolved.
“However, it would not be accurate to present the toll issue — as I have read and heard in voice notes — as part of the reason why help to our colleague was delayed. To the best of our knowledge it was not so, and it is only reasonable and fair to clarify,” Wilson said.
He added: “We at JCF Welfare sincerely regret the death of Cpl Carr and we hope that we can assist his family, especially his children, to cope among other things — especially in the next few months when the reality hits.”
Meanwhile, the Toll Authority in a press release said, having consulted with Minister of Transport and Mining Audley Shaw, as well as the chairman of authority, the entity is moving to advance existing plans to expand the number of JCF service vehicles with electronic access beyond only the PSTEB Highway Patrol Unit, which currently has responsibility for monitoring the north-south leg of Highway 2000. Minister Shaw has also committed to a further detailed review of the policies and procedures.