Motorists who are driving around with dark tinted vehicle windows have been put on notice to comply with the law or face the consequences.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley warned that this action would not be tolerated as she addressed the nation during a press conference on Thursday, at Ilaro Court.
“We have laws that govern tints on vehicles; they don’t allow dark tints. It must stop and the Government has set a target date that no later than the 14th of October, persons who are not having tints that are compliant, in other words, the light tint, will be fined….
“If you are involved in behaviour that leads to those tints still being there, such that the police or anybody passing through can’t see you, and you believe that you can just drive around with impunity, … start paying some fines,” Ms. Mottley said.
She also indicated that the regulation of number plates is another area of concern. “This notion that any and everybody can make a number plate – those days are done – and there will be strict regulation, and the fines will be high…”, she stressed.
The Prime Minister spoke about the trend where some persons were walking on public highways with masks and shirts on their face.
“It stops the police and other legitimate people in this society from seeing and knowing who it is that’s standing next to them, or who it is that’s doing something opposite them…. The Highways Act passed in 1925, 99 years ago, made it an offence for people to walk on the streets or be in a public place with masks….
“Unless you have the permission of the Commissioner of Police, you cannot be wearing these masks, and you cannot be wearing these T shirts on your face to conceal [it]. The operative thing will be concealment, so, there may have to be an amendment to the actual section, but the section talks about masks….”
Ms. Mottley noted that those employed on construction sites or in landscape may need to have their face covered while working, and she pointed out that transparent masks could be used, so faces could still be seen.
She also disclosed that she had asked Attorney General Dale Marshall and Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw to meet with the owners in the hired cars industry.
“If your car is going to be used as an instrument of crime, remember that one of the first pieces of legislation that this Government passed…was the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Crime Act, and that means that it can be confiscated and forfeited.
“Having said that, we don’t want to set about doing that, we believe that there is room for greater levels of regulation and greater Know Your Customer guidelines for anybody wanting to hire a car in this country,” the Prime Minister said.
During the wide-ranging address, Ms. Mottley stated that because of the misuse by some of 3D printers, persons would require a licence to import them.
“We will bring a regulatory framework for 3D printers, and it will also include the right of law enforcement to periodically inspect those who have these printers to ensure that they are not being used for nefarious purposes,” she added.
Cabinet members attending the address included Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw; Attorney General Dale Marshall; Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott; and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds. (PR/GIS)
