In a report on CITN/Cayman 27 last Wednesday (24) the television station’s news announced and showed officers from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) out on the road in George Town looking “to snare motorists”.

This morning iNews Cayman received a press release from the RCIPS confirming they had carried out “traffic checks along Huldah Ave in George Town, vicinity of the Smith Road oval yesterday September 24th 2014, where they focused on various traffic offences. As a result of the operation approximately 12 persons were prosecuted for traffic offences ranging from unlicensed vehicles, driving without insurance and failing to wear seatbelt.

“The offence of unsafe load is one of the key offence being targeted as well and these operations will continue. The Department of Vehicle Licensing are also partnering with the RCIPS on these traffic operations.”

Interestingly, not one unsafe load offence was reported in the press release.

I have nothing against police road checks as long as they are not consistently in the same place.

What I have against the road checks currently taking place is the statement that was made on CITN:

“Even the smallest of traffic offences can lead to accidents and even road fatalities. That’s the warning from police, who hammered that message home with a road block in George Town Wednesday (24 September).

“Police were on the lookout for “every single traffic offence you can think of. That’s what we are going to do,” said Cornelius Pompey of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS).

“We look at the licence plate, the coupons that are being displayed, expired coupon, seat belts, cell phones, you name it.”

How about that for an exercise in public relations? The police are on the look out “for every single traffic offence you can think of”.

I am afraid that has really irked me.

I pride myself on being a law abiding citizen but just recently having witnessed an over zealous police officer issuing a ticket – one on my PRIVATE road to one of our tenants for parking on it and in his very limited opinion was causing an obstruction – which he wasn’t as a DOE refuse truck could pass it – , issuing another ticket to a motorist also for obstruction and on a private office thoroughfare that again was not obstructing anything, and a ticket for going through an amber light , I find myself questioning whether the police are actually protecting me or harassing me. By the way I was not the victim in any of these incidents but witnessed them.

The reason for this seemingly over the top crack down can for a large extent be blamed on some media houses (not iNews Cayman) for claiming the big drop in the stats for traffic offences was due to the police not doing their job. They had been taken from traffic duties to deal with the huge rise in petty criminal offences and the not so petty ones. Something I applauded.

They have lamented the lack of co-operation by Cayman’s public to police inquiries and the small attendances at their public meetings also have illustrated the mistrust in the local police.

When an officer proudly and with a very authoritative tone tells Cayman’s motorists they are going to be prosecuted for “every single traffic offence you can think of” they might as well not bother to have any more public meetings as there will be no one there.

The police need the public’s co-operation and there is a fine line to tread, especially when the large majority of the public are motorists.

In my humble opinion the police have already over stepped it.

“Even the smallest of traffic offences can lead to accidents and even road fatalities” is their cry –“We look at the licence plate, the coupons that are being displayed, expired coupon…” It would have to be a very small accident caused by one of those.

I fear you are now going to get more non co-operation not less. And that is a HUGE shame.