Dozens of unlicensed bikes seized in Westmoreland clampdown
Published:Wednesday | November 2, 2022 | 12:07 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
POLICE IN Westmoreland have removed in excess of 80 illegal motorcycles from the streets in the first two weeks of an initiative to stem the frequency of road fatalities in the parish.
Since January 2022, the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Mining says 376 persons have been killed across the island in 327 fatal collisions.
According to Westmoreland’s operations chief, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Adrian Hamilton, the initiative, which started in early October, has been successful.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Hamilton said that criminals have chosen motorcycles because getaway drivers are able to effectively navigate traffic.
“Many of our criminal offences that have been committed, as well as traffic breaches, are committed with motorcycles,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the traffic department, as well as detectives from the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) in the parish, is seeking to identify the owners of the bikes and to determine whether they were used to commit crimes.
“We are doing investigations around these motorcycles when they are held, especially when they are unlicensed, to look at unlawful possession of the property, receiving stolen property, especially in instances where that ownership cannot be established,” Hamilton explained.
Despite those early successes, the police revealed that they are grappling with storage but were working to dispose of the motorcycles once the investigations are completed.
Data from the Road Safety Unit revealed that road fatalities have increased by three per cent, while fatal crashes have fallen by five per cent when compared with January 1 to October 31 last year this time.
Last year, there were 487 road fatalities, the highest in the country’s history.
Motorcyclists account for 30 per cent of the 376 road fatalities recorded, pedestrians account for 21 per cent, private motor vehicle drivers account for 19 per cent, and public passenger vehicle drivers are responsible for two per cent of those killed across the island to date.
In Westmoreland this year, there have been 42 fatalities while Hanover has recorded 25. St Elizabeth has recorded 25 crash fatalities while Trelawny has registered 24.