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PSTEB gets 80 new bikes

Published:Saturday | September 21, 2019 | 12:05 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Chang
Chang

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has signalled that public order and safety will improve significantly with the handover of 80 Yamaha motorcycles to the police and a revamped ticketing system set to be rolled out next month.

“We are equipping the members of the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) with the right equipment and infrastructure and to optimise the performance of their duties,” Chang said as he addressed the handover ceremony at the Office of the Police Commissioner on Hope Road in St Andrew yesterday.

According to Chang, boosting the police’s fleet was a critical component of the push to improve security across the island.

He also signalled that the days of motorists racking up 1,000 traffic tickets would soon be history.

“As of October 2019, that will change … . This Government will fix the ticketing system. The revamped system will be web-based … . Public order and public safety will be brought to a new level,” Chang said.

Over the next two years, the police will be seeking to rehabilitate police stations across the country.

“Continuing the rehabilitation of 186 police stations, we are going to knock down a few old ones and build new ones. A fleet-management system will be crucial to ensure the assets we acquire for the police force are properly maintained, kept in good order, and give the commanding officer the opportunity to monitor the work throughout the country,” Chang said.

Police Commissioner Anthony Anderson said that the 80 bikes would go a long way in increasing the capacity of the police force to ensure public safety and traffic management.

“Last year, we formed the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB). The unit has got a lot of attention in the public sphere, and it’s doing a lot of good work. We had a good opening of school and getting better flow along the roads,” Anderson said.

He said that the new bikes would be deployed in various towns and hotspots across the country by the end of the year.

With enforcement strategies and presence, the police are hoping for a reduction in traffic accidents and traffic breaches.

The Gleaner has gathered also that some of the bikes will be sprayed in high-visibility colours while some will remain in neutral shades for quick-reaction purposes.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com