Business as usual? Windscreen cleaners slowly return to streets

Laranzo Dacres,  Sunday Gleaner Writer

Despite the much-publicised efforts of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to rid the street of windscreen cleaners last year, it appears that they have started to return to the streets and are conducting their business as usual.

Several calls to Automotives indicate that 'the cleaners' have resurfaced at major intersections in the Corporate Area - Three Miles; Half-Way Tree and Waterloo roads; Maxfield Avenue and Hagley Park Road.

In August last year, the Elletson Road-based senior superintendent of police in charge of traffic, Radcliffe Lewis, and his team embarked on a radical move to remove

windscreen cleaners from the streets of city Kingston. There were mixed reactions to the move, but at the close of 2010 more than 80 such persons had been arrested.

In his response to the latest criticisms from callers to Automotives, SSP Lewis said his team had not relaxed its efforts to get the windscreen cleaners off the roads.

"They are not back in full force. And, there are one and two of them who come out at nights," he said.

"The real challenge we have is with those operating in Three Miles. They are repeat offenders and that is where we have our biggest problem. The fines they pay are too small, and in Three Miles it is easy for them to run away and hide in the gully or escape into Majesty Gardens (Back-To) when they see the police. Some of these street boys are menaces ... especially to females," he continued.

According to SSP Lewis, first offenders brought before the courts are fined $500 or given 100 hours of community service. "But, I believe the fines are just too small and not enough to make them obedient to the law."

On the other hand, he said repeat offenders - especially on their fourth or fifth offences - are sentenced to 30 days in jail.

pursue them

The tough-talking senior superintendent, however, conceded that he did not have the manpower to monitor all the intersections as he would wish.

"When they (offenders) see the jeep coming, dem scatter! Sometimes, we see a group of 10 at work, but we don't have enough resources to pursue them all.

"We would have to be out there seven days a week and we just can't do that because we have other matters to attend to with the limited resources that we have," SSP Lewis said. "We are assuring the public that we have not pulled up on our plans."

SSP Lewis explained that the responsibility for ridding the streets of vagrants in Half-Way Tree fall under the purview of the St Andrew Central police, while the South St Andrew police is responsible for Three Miles.

"It's just because I am an all-rounder that I decided to take on this matter. These boys were disrupting traffic flow in the city and can deter anti-crime initiatives. I intend to have my night team deal with the unscrupulous ones that come out after dark," he promised.