-President says Top Cop given clear directives

THE inquiry into the deadly Friendship accident which claimed the lives of five persons, has confirmed that speeding by the police was a major contributing factor, President David Granger said on Wednesday.

“There is clear evidence that the police vehicle was driving at an excessive rate, which was not necessary at that time. It was not part of my convoy…the road was clear, there were no obstacles, and again I don’t want to name names, but there is an element of culpability and the commissioner of police will take action in that regard,” President Granger said.
At the time he was responding to a question posed by the Guyana Chronicle on the margins of an accreditation ceremony at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Surveillance footage nearby captured motorcar PPP 515 moving at a moderate pace when a police vehicle with flashing lights, slammed head on into it. On the point of impact, the police vehicle spun several times before coming to a halt in a nearby drain. Five persons – Ronel Barker, Policeman; Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant, Leon Tucker; Lovern Stoby, a special constable attached to the Guyana Police Force; and Herbert Josiah and his wife Denise Josiah – were killed in the accident while two persons survived. Barker was the driver of the police vehicle at the time of the accident while Tucker was driving the private car in the company of his aunt, Stoby and the Josiahs.

The Board of Inquiry report which was compiled by Deputy Commissioner of Police Paul Williams with support from Senior Superintendents Calvin Brutus and Linden Isles, addressed the use of sirens by police and other emergency vehicles.

President Granger said he has written Commissioner of Police Leslie James, and has provided clear directives. “As you can see, he has already initiated action in terms of enforcement of some traffic regulations and I expect that there will be greater vigilance, not only now, but during the Christmas period,” he said.

Upon hearing about the horrific accident, the President visited the scene, and within hours had ordered an inquiry. He had assured then that whatever the cause of the accident, the Government of Guyana, the administration of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, the Cabinet and the National Security Committee will take every step to ensure that the roads are used safely by all members of the security forces.

He had said steps would be taken to ensure that regulations, standard operating procedures, inspections and the careful selection and training of drivers, are measures which are put in place so as to prevent a recurrence.

Describing it as a “great tragedy,” President Granger on Wednesday said the accident ought not to have happened. “The police have been warned and I expect that there is going to be more care not only for human life on the road, but also care of the vehicle,” he said.
Days after the accident had occurred, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said stern actions will be taken against ‘rogue’ cops, who are bent on abusing the use of sirens and continue to engage in the reckless use of the country’s roadways resulting in accidents, some – deadly.

Ramjattan said Barker — policeman – who was driving one of the vehicles involved in the accident, could have demonstrated greater care, caution and consideration that fatal day. According to Minister Ramjattan, it was “recklessness” that caused the Friendship accident. He said though police officers have been continuously cautioned about their use of sirens, some, nonetheless, abuse the system.

As of October 29, 2019, 85 persons, among them six children, were killed in road accidents for 2019 – an increase, when compared to the deaths recorded in 2018, Coordinator of the National Road Safety Council, Ramona Doorgen, said

Doorgen explained that in 2018 a total of 92 road fatalities were recorded from 79 accidents. Already for 2019, 85 deaths were recorded from a total of 75 accidents. The number of children killed in these vehicular accidents has also increased. Doorgen pointed out that in 2018 three children were killed in road accidents while noting that the figure has since doubled.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the leading causes of traffic mishaps in the country are speeding and driving while under the influence of alcohol. Other major causes are driving while distracted by use of a cellphone, pedestrian inattentiveness, and failure to heed traffic signs and warnings.

Though there are established ‘Speed Limits’ across the country – 50 km/h in the towns and along sections of the East Bank Demerara (EBD) corridor – Doorgen said some drivers are in the habit of surpassing the ‘Speed Limits,’ thereby putting their lives and the lives of others at risk . Doorgen pleaded with drivers to drive within the ‘Speed Limits.’
To prevent accidents, especially those involving emergency vehicles – be it a police car, ambulance, fire engine or prison van – the National Road Safety Council is working with Clarke’s Productions and the National Road Safety Council of Trinidad to develop a training programme proposal for submission to the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Public Health and the Guyana Police Force.