The Editor, Sir:

I want to bring to your attention a seemingly innocuous activity which is gaining more prevalence and extravagance, but on examination will reveal the failure of at least three state agencies.

The activity is the placement of blue lights on vehicles. By my certain knowledge this is a breach of the Road Traffic Act.

I recall the distribution of some emergency vehicles was delayed as the then head of the traffic department, Superin-tendent Trinity Gardner, pointed out that blue lights are only allowed to be placed on police vehicles.

Triggers questions

Firstly, these lights are imported into the island. The Customs Department should have detected and detained these imports.

This triggers a number of questions in my mind. If these contraband can elude the Customs Department, what other items of contraband are eluding them, whether by accident or design?

The appropriate action not being taken by the Customs Department is failure on their part.

Secondly, all vehicles are to be passed as roadworthy by the various examination depots.

Being roadworthy, I take to mean that the vehicle is not in contravention in any shape or form of the Road Traffic Act.

It is not necessarily assumed that the passing of vehicles that are not roadworthy is due to corruption, but based on the history of this government agency it is hard to think otherwise. To pass a vehicle that is not roadworthy is a failure of the Island Traffic Authority.

Thirdly, if I can see these breaches then surely our police officers must be seeing them as well.

Timothy McVeigh of the Okla-homa bombing fame was caught primarily because of a minor traffic violation by a state trooper.

Here is a chance for our police officers to solve some of our crime woes with some plain old-fashioned policing. You stop a vehicle with illegal blue lights and you might just find other things.

Further, you could investigate the person who passed the vehicle as roadworthy. Did he take a bribe?

Connect the dots

If he took a bribe for this, did he also take one to pass that vehicle which had an ineffective braking system or bad tyres that was in the accident that caused a life to be taken?

Additionally, an investigation of the custom officer who allowed entry of the vehicle may be considered. These investigations could probably prevent later investigation for a number of deaths.

Let's connect the dots, and apply the zero tolerance concepts that the police force is usually proclaiming.

I am, etc.,

WAYNE A. BROWN

benyaw@excite.com

Amberly Place, Portsmouth

St. Catherine

Via Go-Jamaica