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All police officers to be dragged into traffic war
All police officers, besides those in traffic divisions, will be empowered to book traffic offenders from June, a senior Government official said yesterday.
“We need more Police personnel for the task in view of the mounting accidents and indiscipline on the roads. Last year alone, there were more than 35,000 accidents in which 2,439 persons were killed,” T.M.K.B. Tennakoon, Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order, told the Sunday Times.
He said instructions were being sent out to Officers-in-Charge of Police Stations to train personnel who were not assigned to their respective traffic branches.
The move, which is being initiated by the Ministry of Law and Order, instead of Police Headquarters, some senior Police officers say, would place additional burdens on Police officers deployed for other tasks. A senior officer, who did not wish to be identified, since he is not authorised to talk to the media, said the answer to the issue was to recruit and train more traffic policemen rather than draw others from their duties. He pointed out that Policemen detailed for crime prevention, for example, would not be able to devote their attention to that task. They would not only have to book offenders but also attend courts.
Secretary Tennekoon said the new measure was being put into effect after studies were conducted by the ministry. “We need more personnel to detect traffic offences. It was revealed that the number of accidents and reckless driving cases has increased. From January to April alone 790 persons have been killed due to traffic accidents,” he said. He revealed that more ticket books were being printed to be issued to Police personnel who will be co-opted for traffic duty.
The Public Order Ministry Secretary said that initially the new scheme would be in operation for three months. “If it is not found to be useful, we will increase the fines on traffic offenders,” he pointed out. “The number of accidents reflects badly on the country’s image. Therefore, the new plan is being implemented,” he added.
Another senior Police officer with experience in traffic duties said, “The answer does not lie in deploying the entire Police force to go after traffic offenders. Firstly, motorists will have to be educated and there should be stricter policing on the road. The number of traffic police personnel has not increased though the traffic population in the country has grown manifold.”