Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has revealed that presently there is a proposal before him to put tracking devices on all police vehicles.
Speaking at the presentation of new vehicles to the police force on Friday, the Prime Minister said the decision to place the devices on the vehicles depend on how well they are taken care of.
“You may very well have to force me to put tracking devices on every vehicle that you have,” he stated. “There is indeed a proposal before me that I have not given much consideration to, but I will decide how well you use it before appending my signature to this proposal.”
He said in the use of property belonging to the state, the financial rules make provisions for how vehicles are to be kept and the location of such vehicles, with an exception for departments carrying out special duties which must remain a matter of secrecy and there must be proper records of the vehicles in the department.
Skerrit reminded the officers that they must be mindful that the public is watching, and when they call on them they must be in a position to respond.
He said officers who have been in an accident must call themselves out to make a report on what transpired and not let it go to the “graveyard.”
“And when the chief believes that he has a vehicle assigned to a police station there is none or a department, there is none,” Skerrit noted. “At the end of the day we all must recognize that you may not have the ultimate responsibility to fetch the resources, but if we do not use it properly, we are denying ourselves, our country and our children from a better way of life.”
The Prime Minister also urged the officers to show great appreciation for the assets that they have in their care.
When dominica has a proper hospital then i can say something. They need to put priority where priority is..
While you at it Skerrit, put one on yourself, so we can know where you are
You know when you was small and your mother was saying.., “Keep messing around and i’ll hide your games”? That’s exactly how Skerrit talking about the trackers….like if you miss behave you’ll make daddy track your cars. Not sure why he not giving the proposal consideration as he said because this is 2016, if a squad go out and disappears, we need to be at least able to know where last the vehicle to do a search. Criminals getting smarter…law enforcement must get smarter to combat it.
Secondly is all of us that putting gas in those vehicles, so government vehicles cannot be used for people to go to church and pick up their children from school.
So all this time those vehicles had no tracking devices? I should have stolen one and hide it. I cannot believe that in 2016 they dont even have tracking devices on their vehicles. No wonder these worthless police can joyride and drop be all over the place behind their little woman. The time the police on the bike had jam the woman in Petit Savane and she lost her leg im sure it wasnt official business he was on. Police taking state vehicles and parking it at their home like is theirs. IT is more than high time. In the meantime it is the tax payers who have to pay for all the gas and maintenance of these same vehicles. Yes, we have to pay for their joyriding and mashing up of state vehicles.
Hmmm… think the PM would sign off on this?
When he going on his “private mission” i doe think he wants to be tracked
Carcon, you all know I have no time for Skerrit but believe me that as long as he has his telephone with him he can be traced whether it is here or overseas, no fear about that.
Mister PM. Please don’t give it a second thought. Implement! I am in favor of this being done not only to the police but other government vehicles, especially a certain PS from the north who uses gov’t vehicle as if it’s her family vehicle. Also the police use their for gardening, and other personal errands including sitting in rum and domino shops when they are supposed to be on duty.
AA I thought it was me alone that was seeing that
This is the most efficient way to mobilise your vehicles since you would know where they are at all times. You then ask the nearest one to respond
Please clarify what the PM means”When the chief believes he has a vehicle assigned to a station there is none or a department there is none?What nonsense the PM speaks.Looking over the past years of the number of vehicles donated to the police and the CHIEF states he will monitor these with his full vigilant.Never to be seen again.We are indeed in a failed state.
Why not nuh, didnt they steal an ambulance the other day and they couldnt find it?
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA, THIS IS DONE IN MUCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORLD AND CAN ENSURE PROPER ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE PROPERTY, INCREASE PROFESSIONALISM, AND EVEN ACT AS A DETERRENCE FOR WOULD-BE INTERNAL CORRUPT ACTIVITY. LET US SEE THIS PLAN MOVE INTO FRUITION, IT WOULD SERVE US THE DOMINICAN PEOPLE WELL.
very good idea !! and if in case you have one extra…keep it in your pocket Mister PM. at least people that vote for you will know where you are , and may be what you doing .
Maybe not police vehicles but other public sector vehicles, a GA from ministry of education or agriculture doe have no business over taking me at 3 o clock in the morning
Why not police vehicles? ARe you mad ? those are the first vehicles i would put trackers on. Al those police do is joyride and play chauffer to their little woman and them. What crimes that being solved?
Sewo,the tracking devices are not just to monitor the person driving the vehicle. A police vehicle should have a tracking device on it as you never know what situation the officers using that vehicle may end up in and police headquarters may need to give the exact location to get fellow police officers to assist.It’s just good practice,so you need it to keep the officers safe and render assistance should something bad happen to your officers driving these vehicles.
That’s the problem we have in Dominica. To much favoritism… That not should not be even in question. In this modern day an age and the way things going. That should be already been on police vechile. I thought he was about to mention he is gonna start putting body cameras on police officers so they would do their work and assist the communities properly. My exact point is this tracking device should even be in question. It should be already done. Tracking device helps to solve crimes not monitor the maintain he of a police vechile…. Our idiology is wrong as we need to change that as we Dominicans, starting from the prime minister.
I guess that they forrget is not Dominicans society that is reading the news alone, as intellectual people we must watch what we say because the world is looking…
but this will only give location . i think what we need is some form of video camera on the vehicles that way we can know what they are doing with the vehicles and not just know where they are with the vehicles. just a tracker makes no sense to me and who would be keeping track any way?
Let’s start somewhere, shall we?
All police vehicles are supposed to have tracking devices on them, for both the safety of the officer and those sworn to protect. It sounds like Skerrit is using that as a threat, when infact, it is a benefit. All police vehicles are also supposed to be radio-fitted, something that we have yet to accomplish.
The manner in which these vehicles are driven by those police officers….alas my head even hurting me. I often gets angry and just say “if it was there’s they would never be so cruel to those vehicles.
This a good idea both for security and good housekeeping. If successful this could be extended to all publicly owned vehicles. Too often I see government owned property (inc. police vehicles) used for purposed for which it was not intended. If police officers- and /or civil servants are offended by this measure let me remind them that they already have the capacity to track the movements of private citizens through their mobile phones.
Dominican above, i argee with you all the way, it’s used in the UK why not Dominica.