Dear Editor,
In your December 16 edition, Mr Orin Major, in a letter to the editor, recommended putting more traffic ranks on the roads to prevent accidents (‘There should be more traffic ranks on the streets’). Hopefully, Mr Major’s proposal came after careful evaluation of the productivity of existing ranks on the roads. If so, perhaps he or the Traffic Chief can inform us as to the number of traffic ranks in the force and the average number of summons/traffic tickets issued monthly. If, as I suspect, the productivity of traffic officers is low, then increasing the number on the streets is a waste of resources. Before implementing such a recommendation, the Guyana Police Force must put measures in place to increase the efficiency of existing ranks.
One measure used in many countries, including the USA, is establishing a quota system for its traffic officers. Such a system would require the establishment of a goal for the issuance of traffic tickets on a periodic basis, which would form the basis for an assessment of the officer’s performance over that period. If the officer meets his/her goal, then that officer is performing in an acceptable manner. When falling below the goal, the officer is retrained or released and those exceeding the goal are rewarded. Such a system would have a far greater impact on the driving habits of motorists than increasing the number of ranks.
I do agree with Mr Major that the professionalism of officers needs to greatly improve. I find that traffic officers are generally polite, but it is the other black-attired ranks who appear to be raw and untrained in dealing with the public. Why these ranks even have responsibility for traffic offences is a mystery. My understanding is that they are part of the anti-crime enforcement effort of the force and that should be their sole purpose.
Yours faithfully,
Louis Holder
