Probe launched after St Mary cop books motorists wrongfully
Published:Wednesday | January 15, 2025 | 12:17 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter
The police are reviewing traffic tickets issued by a St Mary-based constable using the electronic ticketing system, the Ministry of National Security has revealed.
It comes amid public concerns after The Sunday Gleaner reported that the constable issued four tickets each to a pastor and a businessman in October 2023 for traffic violations they did not commit, just eight days apart.
At this time, there has been no indication of any wrongdoing by the constable.
The review forms part of an ongoing investigation by the Jamaica Constabulary Force to “identify any additional anomalies or unresolved cases”, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement also noted that initial findings suggest that “the discrepancies in these cases are related to a procedural error”.
It added: “It is noteworthy that all the tickets in question were issued by the same officer, within the same area and during a similar time period.”
Phillip Johnson, founding pastor of Fingers from the Heart Ministries, and the businessman were ticketed by the cop on October 15 and 26, respectively, for identical traffic violations along the Tower Isle main road in St Mary.
However, they were both miles away from the location at both times. Johnson had just delivered a livestreamed sermon at his church in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and was driving his vehicle along the Old Harbour main road, also in St Catherine, at the time his four tickets were issued. The businessman, who did not want to be named, was on a flight departing Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, when his tickets were issued, records from the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency confirmed.
The offences listed on the tickets included exceeding the speed limit, not wearing a seatbelt, failing to comply with traffic signs, and disregarding the commands of a constable, according to the Court Administration Division (CAD).
TICKETS WITHDRAWN
Both individuals had their tickets withdrawn in the St Mary Parish Court last year, after arrest warrants were issued.
Experts say the incidents likely violated the fourth standard of Jamaica’s Data Protection Act, which stipulates that personal data must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
The ministry noted, in its statement, that the two cases “understandably” have raised public concerns about the accuracy of the electronic ticketing system, which was introduced in February 2023 when the new Road Traffic Act took effect, replacing the outdated paper-based system.
It disclosed that approximately 306,000 traffic tickets were issued via the system in 2023, but only two instances of such “errors of this nature have surfaced to date, representing significantly less than .01 per cent”.
More than 500,000 tickets were issued through the system last year, “reflecting enhanced efficiency and accuracy”, the ministry said.
“Notwithstanding, we are working to devise additional system-related mechanisms and training in order to reduce the likelihood of any kind error on the part of the issuing officers,” said the ministry.
It said the introduction of the e-ticketing system has been a transformative tool for traffic enforcement and public safety in Jamaica, streamlining processes across all stakeholder entities, reducing processing times and minimising errors when compared with the old manual system.