A motorist has been left wondering when some police-men will take the time to understand their duties and functions. The motorist explained that on August 8, she was travelling downtown Kingston, when a special constable signalled her to stop, a few yards from the intersection of Orange and Heywood Streets.

Spot check

"The special constable said he was doing a spot check and asked me for my car documents. I told him I did not carry them around with me in my car because my car was broken into last year and my documents were stolen. It took me several months to get back all my car documents. "I showed the policeman my valid driver's licence and told him, as far as I knew, a motorist has five days in which to produce car doc-uments, if requested to do so. The policeman kept on saying that he could write me a ticket for failing to produce my car documents.

Valid reasons

"I told him that if he had valid reasons to write me a ticket he should go ahead. He kept on lecturing me for about five minutes to keep my car papers inside my car before he finally said I could go." A senior cop, when consulted on the matter, said policemen going on traffic duty are briefed on their assignment, as well as the law. He says it is still the law that if a motorist does not have the documents for the motorvehicle, then the motorist must be given five days in which to produce them, if the policeman believes it is necessary. However, the senior cop is advising motorists to ensure they have their driver's licence with them at all times.

A motorist has five days

"All the policemen going on traffic duty know that a motorist has five days in which to produce car documents," the senior cop said.

"There are briefing sessions, every day, for cops going on traffic duty and they are warned not to extort money from motorists. However, there are some of them, who are involved in such practices and some end up being arrested and charged for breaches under the Corruption Prevention Act," the senior cop added.