The police have said that the Christmas festive season has generally been good in terms of the number of incidents in relation to its end of year ‘Crime Prevention’ initiatives and ‘Arrive Alive’ campaign launched on December7, 2021, aimed at deterring drunk driving and the consumption of alcohol on public roads.
It was assistant Superintendent (ASP) Jean Toussaint who made the statement yesterday morning in a briefing with the press on the matter.
“The police hope that this coming weekend, for the New Year festivities, the situation remains as is,” ASP Toussaint said.
He said that from Friday December 24 to Monday December 27, a total of 25 road accidents were recorded, noting that most were minor incidents with slight injuries with the exception of one on Praslin in which property was damaged.
He added that the accidents were as a result of a lack of concentration, with some drivers under the influence of alcohol.
He noted though that passengers were mostly the ones caught under the influence of alcohol.
He said that the road blocks, which will continue until the end of the campaign, had been very effective.
He also called on passengers and pedestrians to be careful with regard to consuming alcohol in vehicles and in public places as action will be taken against them during the police operations.
ASP Toussaint said that the police also received a couple of calls with regard to noise pollution in the households and in the community and through their response they received the full cooperation of those involved without any incidents.
“One major incident recorded last week was two fireworks at Ile Perseverance and luckily they didn’t cause a major problem. The police are still carrying their investigation to establish who was responsible as it happened in a sensitive area where it could have caused a lot of harm,” ASP Toussaint said.
He noted that apart from a few people cautioned for not wearing face masks, most of the incidents recorded in relation to the Covid-19 health restrictions were by drivers who had broken the 11pm road curfew and were hurrying to get home. He said that all those involved in police incidents have been fined with fixed penalties among other charges being processed for court prosecution.
He noted that the police will continue with their patrols and will take actions against groups and individuals who are seen to be breaking the law.
With regard to Paul Baker, the 34-year-old British citizen who was reported missing on Monday December 27 following his arrival on December 23, 2021, to work in the country, ASP Toussaint who earlier in the interview said that a call was being made to anybody who has any information of his whereabouts to contact the police, later said that the police had learnt that Baker had left the country on December 26, 2021.
ASP Toussaint said that the police are also calling on the public, especially the youths, to inform a member of the family or to confide in someone close on their intention to move to another place.
He said that looking for missing persons, who at times just reappear out of the blue, have a major impact on police resources which could disrupt their operations.
With regard to the human bone found on the beach on Cerf Island on Monday December 27, 2021, and identified as belonging to a male between 30-40 years old, ASP Toussaint said that more analysis is being conducted to ascertain its origin.
Source: Seychelles Nation
