Police officers are being urged to go beyond the call of duty to ensure the safety of residents of Antigua and Barbuda.
The charge was made by the Head of the Traffic Department, Acting Superintendent of Police Elson Quammie, who is scrutinizing some of the practices of officers in the country, saying they have been ignoring some situations that are not directly in their line of work.
“Sometimes the challenges we are facing is that police are passing offences and saying that ‘this is traffic problem’ so they are not concerned…but once a police always a police. Once you swear to uphold the laws of Antigua and Barbuda you are not too busy for the public,” Quammie told the media during a press briefing yesterday.
The senior officer said it is important for officers to note that although one situation may appear to be minuscule, it could easily escalate.
“We shouldn’t pass any situation and don’t deal with it … don’t care how simple, because sometimes you see a simple argument with two persons and you ignore it and next thing someone gets stabbed as a result of it, or someone goes in the hospital or someone may lose their life,” he added.
Meantime, the police will be clamping down on motorists who violate the law. Specifically, Quammie said, they will be putting their foot down against drivers who have ‘pimped up’ their vehicles with colored LED lights and inappropriately position their licence plates at variance with the prescribed norm.
“We see what is creeping in now is colored lights but the laws of Antigua and Barbuda says there should be no colored lights; all bulbs should be clear, white bulbs,” the Acting Superintendent of Police said.
Quammie said the police will be on the streets every weekend specifically looking out for colored car lights.
According to him, drivers found in contravention will be ticketed, their vehicles seized, and they will be fined if found in violation.
He also said the police will not tolerate inappropriate driving behavior, especially along roadways where construction is taking place.