BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Police here have vowed to increase their operations targeting black spots in this south-central parish even as they themselves face difficulty in apprehending motorcyclists in traffic stops.

Corporal Albert Simpson, sub-officer in charge of the St Elizabeth traffic department, told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday that police have been using different measures to apprehend disobedient motorcyclists, who account for 40 per cent of the road fatalities in the parish since the start of this year.

“They (motorcyclists) refuse to stop when signalled by the police [so] the police have to be coming up with other strategies in order to apprehend them,” said Simpson.

“Motorcycles out there are like a weapon in the rider’s hand, so whenever they refuse to stop, police have to come out of the road,” he added.

He pointed to previous incidents which have resulted in police officers being severely injured, and even killed after being mowed down while attempting to stop motorcyclists during spot checks.

“If you remember in Westmoreland a policeman was hit by a motorcycle and he died. His foot was totally severed. He was buried in Manchester, so we have to ensure our safety and self-preservation, which, we call it, is priority,” said Simpson.

Last month a police constable’s leg was broken after being mowed down by a motorcyclist, who failed to comply with a signal to stop in Santa Cruz during an operation with the Transport Authority.

“We have to ensure that we do our best in apprehending them (motorcyclists) safely without any injury to the police,” said Simpson.

Since the start of this year, five people have been killed in five crashes in St Elizabeth, which is the same figure when compared to the corresponding period last year.

“Two motorcyclists, two [occupants] of private motor vehicles and a pedestrian have been killed in crashes since the start of the year,” said the traffic cop.

He identified three main roads – Slipe, Crawford and Goshen – in St Elizabeth as being prone for accidents.

“Speeding contributes mostly as a factor [in crashes]. With our limited resources in terms of motorcycles and personnel, we still will be boosting enforcement. There will be more speed checks and an increase in the seizure of [unlicensed] motorcycles,” he said.

Simpson said the parish ended 2021 with 41 road fatalities resulting from 37 crashes.

“We have vowed not to go above that this year. We are going to try to keep it as minimal as possible. In order to achieve that we have to enforce. We plan to do joint operations with the certifying officers (examiners) and the Transport Authority,” he said.