“Though I have been working closely with the police, the enforcement agency needs to actually show more standing in terms of being more prevalent so that these persons can understand that we are not a lawless community,” said Rymer who was addressing the House of Assembly on December 15.

Rymer said the police’s traffic unit should be well-staffed so they can focus more attention on these unlicensed riders who have become a public nuisance.

“I have many conversations with the Chief of Police even the Governor who is in charge of security, to make this an issue … Through Standing Finance [Committee] meetings, the question was asked about how many persons are within the Traffic Unit. I think the response was seven officers. To me, that shows that traffic is not an important arm of the enforcement agency because I think traffic should be more staffed if we want to make an impact on vehicles and scooters,” Rymer said.

He also urged unlicensed riders to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get their licenses. He said the department has implemented several initiatives to make it easy for riders to get certified but many remain negligent.

“I want to acknowledge the Department of Motor Vehicles, they even opened on Saturdays and had different programmes where we tried to encourage those riders to come and licence their scooters. For those responsible riders, I applaud you for doing the right thing. For those who are still negligent, I encourage you to come and get your scooter licence and refrain from taking out the package from your muffler because it’s becoming a nuisance,” Rymer urged.

Rymer said he has received many complaints from persons who say the unlicensed riders are a public nuisance.