Poor system for paying fines

Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has been, with the support of technology, making use of some opportunities to pull drivers aside to issue tickets for driving in excess of the designated speed limit. While this may be regarded as a forward move in our country, the greater challenge occurs when a citizen attempts to pay the fine.

These fines are payable only at Magistrates’ courts that are already overwhelmed and challenged for space and other amenities. From a recent personal experience at the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, a line of citizens of varying ages including some with young children was seen stretching out of the building onto the street and side walk. The space within the building that accommodates the one cashier on duty, is grossly inadequate for the throng of people who converged there for various reasons. Whether it was to make payment for justice of the peace services, traffic-related fines or child-maintenance issues. What is worse is that any individual will spend approximately three hours to complete a transaction.

Clearly, this process is not implemented with the same degree of efficiency and effectiveness that the speed gun technology affords. There are many pressing issues here. Why must payment of these fines be limited to the magistrates’ court in the district in which the speeding ticket was issued? So that, if someone resides in Tobago or Toco, and was ticketed in San Fernando, that individual must journey to that city to pay the fine. People should be able to make payments at any revenue office, magistrates’ court, TT Post outlet or even to an account at a commercial bank. To facilitate this type of service will be a forward move, indeed.

Secondly, with hundreds of people who are forced to stand in line on a daily basis for hours awaiting their turn, what is the loss of man-hours on a given day? Those individuals will be compelled to take a day off work as cash transactions close at 3 pm.

The third concern is the use of a cash-only system. Yes, cash is synonymous with crime in this country. Citizens are forced to carry around a minimum of $1,000 as they wend their way and wait on a pavement to make this payment. It stands to reason that we are enabling crime here.

LD Payne via e-mail

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