I just read a very unpleasant story on the Demerara Waves’ website (Unauthorized police driver arrested for road death), and I am glad that the news was made public. In Guyana, there are too many instances of ‘law keepers becoming law breakers.’ So the fact that the issue is now pending legal intervention is most welcomed. I pen this letter not only in this regard, but also in response to  driving habits in Guyana. In Guyana, the prevailing belief is that the police are under a kind of protective canopy, and only in rare instances, this covering will be removed. I noticed the scant respect shown for the profession: the handling of the vehicles, attitude when speaking to persons arrested, unnecessary aggression etc. These practices have been inculcated since time ‘immemorial’ and they are simply being perpetuated now. To ‘arrest’ these tendencies is quite difficult. So I am glad that even though the necessary changes are difficult to usher in, a start has been made and is being made. In fact, a number of such incidents (erring police officers) are coming to the fore these days.
This particular policeman was not authorised to drive a Guyana Police Force vehicle, and quite rightly he was arrested. So maybe he is without a driver’s licence as well. This makes the matter even more serious. When I add the death of a 75-year old woman to the equation, it really now completes a sad drama. Thus, it warrants a most condign response.
I am quite ignorant of the circumstances surrounding the actual accident. It could very well be that it was unavoidable and that the 75 year old victim was flagrantly at fault. However, these extenuating circumstances can never exonerate the police officer. As I said before, he was ‘unauthorised’ to drive the vehicle. I also posit that even if he had been authorized, and the victim was at fault, there was a need for him to (at least at that moment) to be conscious of his responsibility. By this I mean that he simply had to be ‘doubly careful.’ This entails driving with extreme caution, even if this meant  ‘moving at snails’ pace.’
I close by asking that some good come out of this incident. School reopens September 5, which is Monday and there will be a great need for ‘extra-extra caution. I remember the death of a student of Cummings Lodge (last Phagwah) and even though a lot of people said that the ‘exuberant Phagwah-playing’ student simply ‘ran into the path’ of the fatal vehicle, I argue, and in many ways too, that a student cannot and should not be blamed. The society at large, and more so drivers, must have a sense of responsibility towards the old, infirm and young. Too many drivers are in the habit of ‘seeking to impress’ especially the ‘little school girls’ with the deadly combination of speed and music. I only recently read of the infamous BMM 7207 ‘beer-drinking driver.’ He should never be allowed to drive, unless and until he be fully rehabilitated. The law must ‘kick in’ even if it does so in an abrasive manner.