Thanks to Paul and Brown

POLICE officers are responsible for upholding and enforcing the law, not for breaking it. That is why we were surprised at the displeasure expressed by those attached to the Court and Process Branch when they found their cars, parked illegally outside the Port-of-Spain Magistrates' Court on St Vincent Street, were taken away by the wrecker. These policemen are not above the law, they enjoy no special privileges compared to ordinary citizens and, therefore, should be finding legal places to park like everybody else. The fact is, they have been breaking the law for a long time, parking in a no-parking zone on St Vincent Street.

When, as part of the effort to restore law and order to the city streets, their vehicles were towed away they should have accepted it with good grace, recognising that they were enjoying a "privilege" to which they were not entitled. While they admitted their wrong, the disgruntled policemen felt that the hierarchy of the Service should have been more sensitive to their situation, since they were responsible for controlling prisoners at the courthouse. They said the decision to stop their illegal parking came "like a thief in the night," and that no one had the courtesy to warn them in advance. That argument also has no validity since what they were again asking for was special treatment; do ordinary citizens whose vehicles are towed away from no-parking areas get any kind of warning before the wrecker strikes?

In responding to the annoyance expressed by the Court and Process men, Acting Commissioner (Traffic) Trevor Paul said he was surprised that police officers would protest what had been done. The ACP noted that court officers, like the rest of the Police Service, are there to ensure that the laws of the country are enforced. As far as we are concerned, we commend the ACP for taking decisive action to ensure that the traffic laws were enforced. He added: "While we are focussing on the kidnappings and the flow of drugs into the country, we must also be serious about the smaller things, like traffic laws. We are too lax in the country and it is time we become serious with what we do." Acting Commissioner Paul, however, must not confine his law enforcement drive to the streets of the nation's capital. The laxness that he refers to is even more conspicuously and hazardously displayed by drivers on the highways and major roads of the country, resulting in horrendous accidents which take a high toll in death and mutilation. This newspaper has repeatedly called for action and measures by the Traffic Police to deal with the recklessness which has become endemic on our roads.

But while we are pleased with the decision of ACP Paul to clear the city streets of illegally parked vehicles to permit an easier flow of traffic, we must also commend the action taken by Mayor Murchison Brown to end the unsightly chaos created by street and pavement vendors in the commercial section of the city. These vendors themselves have had a long run with their illegal activity. And while the authorities may have tended to overlook their operations out of a desire to provide them with an opportunity to carry out their mini-business, to sell their goods and produce, that "permission" has led to a proliferation, a virtual free-for-all, of stalls and trays which block the pavements and occupy street space, thus adding to the city's traffic problems. But this has always been the problem with street vendors. Once some are allowed to set up their trays, others quickly follow and then chaos soon reigns. Anyway, thanks to ACP Paul and Mayor Brown for their decisive action.