Nelson Wants $500m from Amnesty to Repair Police Vehicles
November 23, 2011The Full Story
KINGSTON — Minister of National Security, Hon Dwight Nelson, says that he expects that at least $500 million of the over $2 billion in unpaid traffic tickets the Government hopes to recover from an amnesty, will be used to repair police vehicles.
Speaking at the handing over of 86 vehicles to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), at the Police Commissioner’s Office in Kingston on Tuesday (November 22), Senator Nelson said that the funds would ensure that the vehicles are repaired “from time to time."
He said that on Thursday (November 23), he will be taking a Bill to the Senate, for an amnesty to allow the Government to collect some of the unpaid traffic tickets charges.
“I am going to be laying this Bill in the Senate on Thursday, to ensure that we collect some of that $2 billion dollars that is outstanding in unpaid traffic tickets, to help to repair police vehicles,” the Minister said.
The National Security Minister said it is heartrending to him when he gets reports that police vehicles cannot be driven, because of a lack of items such as brake shoe or tyres.
With at least one million outstanding traffic tickets to contend with, the Government introduced a new integrated traffic-ticketing system in seven parishes last November. It registers the tickets once they are rolled out, and has servers that download them into court’s offices in those parishes.
When fully operational, the new system will see traffic personnel being outfitted with hand-held electronic pads, and similar systems on their motor vehicles, which will electronically generate tickets printed on the spot, while the same information will be fed into the database.
By Balford Henry, JIS Reporter & Editor