Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs and Local Government Hon. Tevin Andrews, has announced that people travelling from Carriacou and Petite Martinique will no longer be subjected to random checks by Port Police when utilising the Tyrrel Bay Express and MV Dolly C.
This follows months of complaints by travellers that they were “harassed” when disembarking the ferries that use the Caricom Wharf.
Minister Andrews, during a special ceremony to commission the Licencing Unit for Carriacou and Petite Martinique, said that following discussions with Prime Minister Hon. Dickon Mitchell, and after raising the issue during a Parliamentary Sitting, the random checks will be discontinued.
He noted that residents of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are part of the State of Grenada and should be treated no different from people travelling from St Patrick to St George’s.
GIS
I
Simple solution require the passenger show the ticketing agent a valid ID and once again at boarding. No residents must show a valid passport with the appropriate visa stamp. Exactly the same as taking a commercial.flight anywhere in the world, including between states. Not onerous on any legitimate passenger
That’s a very brilliant and conscious move by the government, because that action by the police was effectively gross discrimination against our own citizens. It’s very hard to imagine that our people will support such blatant forms of discrimination and double standards. The police has to be decisive in their approach. They must pick their target decisively and should never engage acts that amounts to harassment of citizens. If so what is the sense being a citizen of a tri-island state like ours, if it subsequently leads to such unnecessary form of discrimination. We are a free and dignified people and we ought to be conscious. We could fight crime without such foolish and obvious discrimination against the people.
Well down .
I view this as a decision made under pressure. I am a cab driver who operates with the ferries & I have seen many vehicles uninsured, drivers without licences, uncustomed goods being flagged by Customs & Police at the Caricom gate. Now the powers that be has made it a free for all.
Grenadians are also subject to random checks while travelling within Grenada. Will the police stop these checks as well? I have to assume that the RGPF must have a reason for their actions which is beyond just harassments.
I believe this is a big mistake; I pray it does not back fire.
That may be a simple fix but we still have issues with illegal travellers within those three islands so what is the plan B?
We have to protect those islands as Grenada don’t have an army to police the movement of people from one to the other as criminals will use this in anyway they can.
Yep
Then target the criminals and leave Grenadians alone to frome area of the state to another. As an example, does citizen in the USA traveling from one state to another subject to this sort of surveillance or Canadians traveling from Prince Edward Island to mainland Canada subject to this kind if harassment the answer is No. All citizens must be treated equally whether you live in Carriacou or on the main land Grenada
You think these checks are how your going to stop the criminals (which would require an Army to address)? This is nothing more than harassment