Superintendent Courtney Coubrie (left), Donavon Henry (centre) of the Island Traffic Authority, and DSP Barrington Simpson check documents during an operation on Mandela Highway yesterday. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
As part of the traffic-enforcement operation, a number of buses are searched in an effort to check for criminals, and we also check to make sure that the vehicles are up to standard, in keeping with the Transport Authority regulations. - Lewis
THE POLICE are reporting major success in their efforts to crack down on wayward motorists.
In just under one month, the police have seized two illegal firearms and impounded more than 900 motor vehicles, which were being operated illegally.
In addition, the cops, assisted by inspectors from the Transport Authority and the Island Traffic Authority, have removed 772 licence plates from defective vehicles, arrested 520 persons with outstanding traffic fines, and confiscated a small quantity of illegal drugs.
Only yesterday, more than 20 pairs of licence plates were removed and several persons ticketed during a major operation on the Mandela Highway near Six Miles in St Andrew.
"We will continue to check for a number of things, including drugs, firearms, and will check to ensure that the vehicles are roadworthy," Superintendent Courtney Coubrie, operations officer of the Police Traffic Division told The Gleaner.
order and discipline
Coubrie was supporting head of the traffic division, Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis, who said the operation dubbed 'Traffic and Anti-crime Enforcement', is an effort to bring back order and discipline to the transport system.
"As part of the traffic-enforcement operation, a number of buses are searched in an effort to check for criminals, and we also check to make sure that the vehicles are up to standard, in keeping with the Transport Authority regulations," Lewis said.
He noted that the removal of dark tints, heavily amplified audio systems and visual equipment was an important part of the operation.
"We can now see through most of the buses, and that's the type of things we want to achieve in all public transportation," Lewis said.
The crackdown, which started in Kingston and St Andrew, has been rolled out islandwide since Monday.
"We had a meeting with the sub-officers in charge of traffic islandwide, because the message has not yet been received by rural transport operators, so we will be more intense in those areas," said Lewis.