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Friday, July 3, 2009
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Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report |
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Concerns about reckless driving of prison buses By JASMIN BONIMY ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ jasmin@nasguard.com: Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest recently admitted that his ministry has received an increasing number of complaints regarding the reckless driving of Her Majesty's Prisons' buses that transport inmates to court. While speaking at the Chamber of Commerce's "Meet the Ministers" forum last week Thursday, Turnquest said he has had to deal with the issue several times. "In regards to the prison bus, I have to deal with that on a far too frequent basis in terms of speaking to them about the manner in which they drive," Turnquest said. "The prison bus convoy can not stop, and I can accept that because of security concerns. We want to get that back to the prison at a certain hour." The buses transport prisoners from the prison compound in Fox Hill to the courts at 10 a.m. and transport them back to the prison after 6 p.m. The routine trip is estimated to take at least 20 minutes each way. Turnquest was responding to complaints made by audience members, who said they were concerned for their safety. One concerned driver said, "I live out east and that prison bus is going to cause a tragic accident. It's something that has worried me and it's something that needs to be addressed. Law abiding citizens are sitting in traffic and they whiz by." Despite the many complaints, Turnquest said there is little his ministry can do besides speak with prison bus drivers. "The reason that they come down [to court] and we decided to not have either a video at a plea room at the prison or move the magistrates up at the prison is for essential basic human rights," he explained. "All persons ought, until proven guilty, to be given a chance to come into town up to the court system." The previous administration had planned to construct a magistrate court on the prison compound to eliminate concerns about the manner in which prison buses are driven.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 |
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