Police impotent against noise pollution

Editor: It is said that when the police are perceived to be taking no pride in the level of their productivity, their effectiveness, peace in the society is diminished and poverty strangles the people.

That seems to be just the situation which is threatening us in SVG today and the residents of Arnos Vale seem to be experiencing the edge of this malady.{{more}}

It has been years now that the people of Arnos Vale have been having to cope with loud boisterous music/noise coming from the entertainment house or houses in the area. At two and three o’clock in the morning we have been forced to call the officers of the Calliaqua Police Station to appeal for their help and this has been going on for years now.

We believe that this noise has hurried the demise of some of our respected and law-abiding senior citizens and it is still negatively impacting the lives of our students and all those who give conscientious service in the day and need good rest at night so that they can continue to be productive. Is that not their constitutional right, which should be protected by the police?

This laxness by the police is very accommodating to the vagrant who has the privilege of sleeping most of the day.

On the other hand, one cannot help noting the superlative aggressiveness with which they have approached gentle women whom they deemed to have broken the law. Although those women posed no physical threat to anyone in the society, the police seemed to have considered it honourable to handle these cases with a show of overwhelming force. Yet as it related to the crippling noise pollution issues, they cannot seem to find the energy and resources to act.

At 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, one and a half hours after I had telephoned the Calliaqua Police Station and spoken with Cpl King, the noise was still heard.

I am appealing to the Commissioner of Police, the Police Service Commission, Sir Vincent Beache, the ODD, the Chamber of Commerce and the Prime Minister to recognize the importance of having the noise pollution issues addressed.

It affects negatively our productivity levels and productivity is vital. Be mindful of the reality that many businesses are collapsing, leaving thousands of workers in dire straits.

When people who are severely pressured spring forward, the resulting chaos could be disastrous. By now the hierarchy of the Police Department ought to have concluded that they need to address their seeming impotence and lack of spirit in curbing the rampant noise pollution in our communities today, if they are to retrieve the confidence and respect of the populace which the department enjoyed in yesteryear.

Leroy Providence