Road Sobriety Checkpoints Tonight & On NYE
According to the official notices earlier this month, the Bermuda Police Service will be conducting road sobriety checkpoints from tonight [Dec 29] to Tuesday, 1 January; with the checkpoints set to take place in six parishes – Hamilton Parish, Devonshire, Paget, Pembroke, Southampton and Warwick.
The full Road Sobriety Checkpoint [No. 9] Notice 2018 follows below [PDF here]:
Excellent work by the BPS. If folks knew that they would appear in court within 7 days of the alleged offence, and face trial within 3 weeks for those who plead not guilty, I think the numbers would drop.
If you get tested at the stop and fail, then fail again on the court admissible test at the station how could you plead not guilty? If you refuse you are supposed to be presumed guilty by law. Reports say 230 plus caught for 2018, 61 plus since sobriety stops began, I read the news daily and have seen maybe 20 cases reported, maximum. Were people checked after christmas at Elbow?
Since that lawyer got his careless-driving case thrown out earlier in the year maybe people are getting their own cases thrown out for whatever reasons (that may not make the news)?
I sure hope that after naming 6 check points for new years eve that the BPS will have enough officers on the ground in the many large New years eve party’s like Hamilton and St. George’s as it is their number 1 priority the safety of our citizens.
There is more potential for anti social behavior when there is no presence
and after the weekend incident one would have thought the BPS would want to reinsure the public that they will be out.
Once again, why publicize the event? Just go out and do your job every night in different parishes. It needs to be done regularly, not just on the holidays.