THE Guyana Police Force wishes to respond to an article published in the Kaieteur News of July 03, 2009, under the caption “is this how it is done?” In the article the writer expressed his/her comments on several police related matters. These were the operational procedure of the police in motor vehicles when stopping motorists; the holding of the drivers’ licences of motorists when they have been stopped; the issuing of traffic tickets; and the detention of motor vehicles, particularly public transportation vehicles, by the police.

The Guyana Police Force wishes to thank the ‘Peeping Tom’ for bringing these issues to our attention and also to clarify the points raised and to give the Force’s position on them.

The Guyana Police Force wishes to state that police ranks on mobile patrol duties are constantly briefed on the standard operation procedure in relation to the stopping of motorists which includes that they must exit their vehicles and approach the drivers and inform them of the reason(s) why they are being stopped.

If police ranks remain in their vehicles after stopping a motorist who then has to go to the police vehicle, this is not in keeping with the laid down procedures and motorists ought not to get out of their vehicles unless they have been so instructed after the police have approached their vehicle.

Similarly, it is not the Force’s policy that ranks take the drivers’ licences of motorists and use them as a means of ensuring that motorists report to a particular police station if necessary. Providing that none of the documents requested by the police rank is found not to be in order or suspected to be fraudulent, no vehicle document or driver’s licence should be taken and kept by any rank.

Traffic ticket books are being issued to traffic ranks going on duty in all Police Divisions and traffic tickets are being issued daily for varying ticketing offences. A traffic ticket would be issued to a defaulting driver if the offence committed is one for which a traffic ticket can be legally issued. If the offence is one for which a traffic ticket cannot be lawfully issued, then the driver could be either summoned for court or arrested and placed on a recognisance to appear before the court.

The Administration of the Force does not condone the unnecessary detention of motor vehicles and the orders are clear. While a motor vehicle can initially be held by a rank on duty, the standard practice is that only the Divisional Commander or an Officer can give permission for any motor vehicle to be kept overnight.

Vehicles are sometimes detained for further investigations to be conducted in instances such as if there is a suspicion that the identification mark is false, or the vehicle registration is false, or the driver is unlicensed, breach of the conditions of the road service licence, or to be examined by a certifying officer as a result of an accident.