(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The driving licence system will be digitized. Persons whose licence expire this year will get a new one in ID-card format. “Much of the equipment is already here”, Gloria Stirling of the Office of the Minister of Justice and Police tells de Ware Tijd.

A sufficient number of workers is also available to manage the new system, and the target date for introduction has been set at 1 March.

The introduction of a modern licence is one of the measures intended to make traffic safer. On the other hand, this license has such security features that it is difficult to forge, and it cannot be destroyed in a washing machine. In case of loss or theft, it is easier to track and the waiting period for a new or extended licence is shorter. Police chief Humphrey Tjin Liep Shie announced the introduction of the new driving license late last year. Close cooperation with the Central Civil Registration Bureau (CBB) will also make it easier to determine whether people stopped by police for traffic violations are providing their real address.

It often happens that a fake address is provided, which makes it difficult for the court to process the case. The new system also makes it easier to find out whether a person who claims to have a driving licence actually has one.