Pastor and businessman issued wrongful traffic tickets due to 'procedural error'
A "procedural error" is being blamed for causing a police constable to issue four traffic tickets each to a pastor and a businessman for offences they did not commit, the Ministry of National Security has disclosed.
The ministry revealed, too, that as part of an on-going investigation by the police, other tickets issued by the constable are being reviewed "to identify any additional anomalies or unresolved cases".
There has been no claim of wrongdoing by the constable.
Pastor Phillip Johnson and the businessman were ticketed by the same cop days apart in October 2023 for identical traffic violations along the Tower Isle main road in St Mary, though they were miles away from the location at the time, The Sunday Gleaner reported in December and last weekend.
"The ministry and the JCF are confident that the discrepancies in these cases are related to a procedural error," the ministry said in a public statement yesterday, making reference to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
The ministry said its pronouncement was "based on initial investigations", but did not disclose details of the procedural error.
"The Ministry of National Security wishes to assure the motoring public that the new e-ticketing system being utilised by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is not experiencing any technical issues," it said.
Johnson and the businessman were ticketed on October 15 and 26, respectively, for the offences of exceeding the speed limit, not wearing a seatbelt, failing to comply with traffic signs, and failing to obey the command of a constable, the Court Administration Division (CAD) confirmed.
Their motor vehicle information and unique taxpayer registration numbers were on the tickets.
Johnson delivered a live-streamed sermon at his church, in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and was driving his vehicle along the Old Harbour main road, also in St Catherine, at the time the tickets were issued.
The businessman, who did not want to be named, was on a flight that departed Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay nine minutes before the tickets were issued, records from the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency confirmed.
Arrest warrants were issued for both men arising from the outstanding tickets, but in both cases, the tickets were withdrawn in the St Mary Parish Court on separate days last year, CAD confirmed.
Johnson said the tickets remained on the JCF database up to January 2 this year, the last time he checked.
The incidents described by Johnson and the businessman likely violated the fourth standard of Jamaica's Data Protection Act, which stipulates that personal data must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date, top attorney Chuck Cameron has opined.
The ministry noted, in its statement, that the two cases "understandably" have raised public concerns about the accuracy of the electronic ticketing system, which was introduced in February 2023 when the new Road Traffic Act took effect, replacing the outdated paper-based system.
It disclosed that approximately 306,000 traffic tickets were issued via the system in 2023, but "only two errors of this nature have surfaced to date, representing significantly less than .01 per cent".
More than 500,000 tickets were issued through the system last year, "reflecting enhanced efficiency and accuracy," the ministry said.
"Notwithstanding, we are working to devise additional system-related mechanisms and training in order to reduce the likelihood of any kind [of] error on the part of the issuing officers," said the statement from the ministry.
It said the introduction of the e-ticketing system has been a transformative tool for traffic enforcement and public safety in Jamaica, streamlining processes across all stakeholder entities, reducing processing times and minimising errors when compared with the old manual system.
- Livern Barrett
We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on X @JamaicaStar and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar