POLICE Traffic Chief Neil Semple said, last Thursday, that because there will be an increase of vehicles and pedestrians using the roads day and night, his department will be very focused throughout the festive season. Outlining the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Christmas Policing Plan, he said the intention is to ensure a free flow and minimise congestion in Georgetown and its environs.

Ranks will also enforce the laws with the aim of reducing accidents, Semple said.
Giving comparative statistics on fatalities from January 1 to November 3 for 2009 and 2010, he said there were 85 such accidents last year and 89 this year, an increase of five per cent.
Semple said there were 97 resulting deaths in 2009 and 103 in 2010, 6.1 per cent more. In 2009, 16 children were killed on the roads and six, 63 per cent less, this year.
He said, consequently, in 2009, 197 drivers were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and, this year, 914 were prosecuted for the same offence.
With regard to speeding, 18, 206 cases were made in 2009 and 12, 884 this year, Semple said.
The Senior Superintendent told the media that the methods that would be used include night and day foot, motor car and motorcycle patrols in all Police Divisions; crash trucks in Georgetown to escort vehicles; roadblocks and roving activities out of Traffic Headquarters where there will be classes for traffic ranks.
He said the hours of work would span four-hour shifts on foot, each overlapping the other, so as to maintain a visible traffic presence at all times with ranks on motorcycles and in motor cars and the city will be divided into sections as follows:

* Hadfield Street-Avenue of Republic-Church Street-Water Street-East
Coast/Berbice Car Park- Ferry Stelling;

* Regent Street, from Avenue of Republic to Camp Street, from Camp Street
and South Road onto Church Street;

* From Regent and Camp Streets to Oronoque Street and

* Sheriff Street and Vlissengen Road, Kitty.

Semple said ranks will be visited by officers and the enforcement would be against driving under the influence of alcohol through the breathalyzer; speeding by radar gun; touting; overloaded minibuses/hire cars; containers on roadways and obstruction by badly parked vehicles, the wheels of which will be clamped.