WESTERN BUREAU:
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER of Police Keith 'Trinity' Gardner is warning ground transport operators within the tourist industry that failure to acquire the requisite licensing could result in passengers being removed from their vehicles.
"There are tour operators who are acquiring new vehicles and putting them on the road without the necessary licences," ACP Gardner said. "It presents a
special challenge for the police to remove tourists from the bus and seize the vehicles."
He said that, in the past, he would have "spoken at length" to unlicensed operators to encourage them to cooperate.
"It is time for a zero-tolerance approach," he said.
ACP Gardner said road traffic infractions would be vigorously pursued under Operation Alpha, the new crime plan in the
division.
He said the new approach also applies to security firms which, he stressed, must have a carrier's licence to transport goods, which include firearms and money, as well as liquor companies.
OPERATORS IN COMPLIANCE
But Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), is not worried about the impending move by the police.
"I am sure that the JUTA (Jamaica Union of Travellers Association) and other established operators are in compliance and we need not worry," Mr. Peterkin said.
He claimed that there was no tourism operator who would recommend robots or persons not in compliance.
"Because we have to guarantee the safety of tourists, I don't think that the industry would worry about such a move by the police because we deal with approved and certified persons," he said. "However, there are visitors who look for bargains but they do so at their own risk."
