RCIPS creates traffic unit for Eastern Districts

| 30/03/2022 | 29 Comments
Traffic and Roads Policing Unit officers at Bodden Town Police Station

(CNS): With the level of serious collisions on Grand Cayman’s roads rising, the RCIPS has launched an additional Traffic and Roads Policing Unit to cover the Eastern Districts in an effort to reduce the number of crashes and address poor driving and community concerns.

The new unit will be led by Sergeant Joleta Wolliston and overseen by Inspector Andre Tahal, who will now head two traffic units, with the dividing line at Red Bay.

While increasing traffic, especially during the morning and evening commute, there have been more collisions on the roads and more concern about the behaviour of drivers and their failure to observe the law. Nine people were killed on the roads last year, and five people have already lost their lives on local roads this year.

Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said he hoped the new unit will reassure the community that their concerns are being heard.

“The decision to assign a dedicated traffic enforcement team to the Eastern District has been a long time coming, not only because of the community concerns but also because of the driving trends and behaviours that have been recorded in the Eastern Districts,” he said in a release about the new unit.

“For now, the assigned officers are split into two shifts and two dedicated traffic vehicles have been assigned to provide enhanced visibility and enforcement. These vehicles are marked and are distinguishable from our other patrol vehicles,” he stated, adding that the effectiveness of the new unit will be reviewed over the coming weeks and months.

Inspector Tahal, who recently took over the traffic unit, said the increase in resources falls in line with the RCIPS’ overall objective to reduce fatal collisions, serious injuries and make the roads safer. PS Wolliston, who is a traffic specialist, will head up the new unit along with six constables. She began working in the former Traffic Department two years after joining the RCIPS in1999.

“When the opportunity presented itself, I was eager to get back to working in the area that I am passionate about, and over the years gained expertise and knowledge, having had advanced Traffic Crash and Traffic Homicide Investigation Training during my time with the unit in the early 2000s,” she said.

“My interest in roads policing stems from the poor driving habits and their consequences that I have witnessed and been affected by as a young adult. I am very much looking forward to working with our communities, as we seek to make our roads safer in the Eastern Districts, through education and enforcement.”

The officers will be deployed to work from Shamrock Road in the Prospect area, into the Eastern Districts of Bodden Town, North Side, and East End. They will be focusing their efforts on reducing the potential for serious and fatal collisions by prioritizing the offenses of speeding and DUI, among other offences.

Eastern Districts Area Commander Fernando Soto said the community had asked the police to prioritise road safety and cited speeding as one of the top concerns.

“I know that PS Wolliston and her team of officers will take on this task with efficiency. We hope that the public takes this as an opportunity to reflect on their driving habits and encourage others to be safe by driving within the speed limits and not drinking and driving. Your support and encouragement may save lives,” he added.


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Category: Crime, Police

Comments (29)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Aww shucks. I just moved out east, so I can use Queens Highway to practice my drag racing starts, ready for the new Parkers speedway.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Good news, but first please ensure that ALL of them follow the traffic law/road code WHENEVER they are behind the wheel of a public or private vehicle.
    THEIR ACTIONS(EXAMPLE) WILL SPEAK LOUDLY.
    The same applies to ALL government vehicles on our roads.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Yeah, we can do it all the old fashioned, inefficient, and expensive way – or we could have a couple of cameras and some of the fancy systems we have already paid for.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Saturday / Sunday morning – bodden town road.

    Your welcome.

    – road biker.

    • Anonymous says:

      Everywhere every PayDay Fri 4pm-Sat 4am. Entire length of ETH every Sunday 9am-6pm. These are not mysteries.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Fantastic news.

    I travel from Frank Sound to West Bay often for work related reasons and I rarely see any Police enforcement in the East.

    Now West Bay is another story. I always see Police doing radar checks along the bypass heading in and out of West Bay and on the road at the end of the bypass.

    Why only West Bay? Why not the Spotts “raceway”? Why not through Bodden Town?

    This is welcome news.

  6. Anonymous says:

    It’s 2022 not 1970. There shouldn’t be any 50mph zones. All of the outer districts are built up along the roadways. The Frank Sound Road most definitely should be reduced to 40mph. It is largely residential with a school zone.

    And speaking of school zones, if you attempt to go through any of these at 15mph when the lights are flashing you are sure to be the only one. No one even tries.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The speeders k who are also tailgaters are the ones I have an issue with. They ride your rear end so close that you dare not brake. This is aggressive behavior and intimidating tactics at
    best. Send all such drivers to mandatory Driver Education classes.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Staff and customers not even masking anymore. Full contempt for public health orders and no enforcement by rcips. Either ticket or cancel it.

  9. Anonymous says:

    What took so long. Also, set specific hours for huge dump trucks to use the roads. They should not be able to drive during rush hour morning or evening hours. They are a nuisance and danger because the drivers cannot drive.

  10. Long overdue?? says:

    police please help put it in the LAW that you cannot use a blower on the side of the road making mess these gardeners are bowling leaves and dust on to public highways how long will this continue.

    Stop vehicles from blocking four-way intersection like by Smith road because of the school at 2:30pm it’s against the law but police don’t do anything about it also on eastern Avenue. NRA need to paint on the ground don’t block entersection.

    • Anonymous says:

      Stop the speeding overloaded gravel trucks that hurl marbles onto every roundabout and intersection from East End to West Bay. Where are our street cleaners and crews?

  11. Anonymous says:

    Great news! Please police the Pease Bay speedway.Heavy goods vehicles reaching speeds in excess of 60mph along that stretch from the quarry and imbeciles trying to overtake on the bend.

    • Anonymous says:

      Overtaking on a blind corner is a Jamaican import.
      If you can’t see a car coming, then there isn’t one…idiots.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Wonderful. I’d like to see more speed traps at 6am hour

  13. Anonymous says:

    There are people riding motorcycles in an unsafe manner every day and nobody seems to be doing anything to address the problem. I am asking that this new unit deal with the issue before someone gets seriously injured as a result of this reckless behavior.

    • Anonymous says:

      Too late for before. Many have been severely injured, with at least one of these kids having been left for dead to bleed out in the middle of the street in East End.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Excellent news! Hopefully it will soon have some effect on reckless driving.

    As I was reading the article a vehicle passed in front of my North Side home (in a 30mph zone) at what must have been 60mph or more.

    • Anonymous says:

      Drivers have been passing me while I am driving and cuts right in front of me that uhave to brake to not hit them. Are they so stupid that they dint know my car

  15. Anonymous says:

    Job creation scheme. How about putting more than one staff on at DVDL so it actually encourages people to get their vehicles licensed.

    • Anonymous says:

      I went yesterday and had my car inspected, registered and plated in less than 30 minutes and everyone was very friendly.

      I’ll give them credit where credit is due because I’ve had several long stints there. They seem to be improving and that’s all you can ask.

      • Anonymous says:

        Miracle – I went on Monday and there was one cashier and 40 people waiting with ticket numbers. Needless to say I just walked back out and didn’t get my vehicle licensed.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Wow finally!!!! Let’s get the Shammrock race track under control including the huge dump trucks!!!

    Thanks to all involved in setting this up.

  17. Anonymous says:

    About time. Now let’s hope they actually hit the road instead of hanging out in the Bodden Town station all the time

  18. SlowlyPloddingThroughTown says:

    They’ve been very visible for the past two days, both in Breakers and here in East End. 🙂

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