Burning Nuisance
Two individuals may find themselves before the law courts soon for "burning stuff". The local lobby group Citizens Against Burning Stuff told Barbados TODAY that while there are no laws specifically dealing with the burning of stuff, it still constituted a public nuisance and they had had enough.
Following up on a promise to do so, president Wayne Willock said he had personally delivered a letter to the office of the Minister of Health Donville Inniss on the matter after the minister had come out in favour of something being done against perpetrators of the act of burning garbage. Willock had said after the minister's statements that the group was happy to have finally found a sympathetic ear to the plight of many, especially those with respiratory challenges.
"We strongly believe that the attention which we have been able to draw to this issue may have prompted this focus. We thank him [Inniss] for his timely recognition of this very inconsiderate practice or tradition and assures him that we stand ready to offer to be an important part of the process towards examining what needs to be done, improved or implemented in order to arrest the practice," said Willock.
He added that the group had been doing legal research into the matter, as well as "looking at determining viable alternatives", which they would write the minister on to offer CABS' assistance. Do more The president said he believed there was much that could be done to the indiscriminate perpetrators of the act. "Laws can be put in place to criminalise burning with the relevant fines and/or imprisonment. In certain US states the fine is $25,000. We also have legislation out of Bermuda which addresses the issue.
"We have case studies which target two individuals whom we intend to put before the law courts. At present there is no law against burning stuff which constitutes a public nuisance punishable by getting arrested and charged although public health inspectors have in their portfolio the right to have people charged if they persist after being warned," he stated.
This, however, he noted was not enforced like many other laws, adding that there was also the challenge of personal connections between inspector and perpetrator which could inhibit the correct procedures being followed. "This is called the 'blind eye syndrome'... What I intend to do is to lobby hard for big fines with jail terms for repeat offenders," he stated emphatically.
The group, he said, was still encouraging people to come forward with testimony and to join the group on Facebook or by emailing veriton1@caribsurf.com, to strengthen the lobby against the practice of burning stuff. (LB)
Source: news.barbadostoday.bb
Following up on a promise to do so, president Wayne Willock said he had personally delivered a letter to the office of the Minister of Health Donville Inniss on the matter after the minister had come out in favour of something being done against perpetrators of the act of burning garbage. Willock had said after the minister's statements that the group was happy to have finally found a sympathetic ear to the plight of many, especially those with respiratory challenges.
"We strongly believe that the attention which we have been able to draw to this issue may have prompted this focus. We thank him [Inniss] for his timely recognition of this very inconsiderate practice or tradition and assures him that we stand ready to offer to be an important part of the process towards examining what needs to be done, improved or implemented in order to arrest the practice," said Willock.
He added that the group had been doing legal research into the matter, as well as "looking at determining viable alternatives", which they would write the minister on to offer CABS' assistance. Do more The president said he believed there was much that could be done to the indiscriminate perpetrators of the act. "Laws can be put in place to criminalise burning with the relevant fines and/or imprisonment. In certain US states the fine is $25,000. We also have legislation out of Bermuda which addresses the issue.
"We have case studies which target two individuals whom we intend to put before the law courts. At present there is no law against burning stuff which constitutes a public nuisance punishable by getting arrested and charged although public health inspectors have in their portfolio the right to have people charged if they persist after being warned," he stated.
This, however, he noted was not enforced like many other laws, adding that there was also the challenge of personal connections between inspector and perpetrator which could inhibit the correct procedures being followed. "This is called the 'blind eye syndrome'... What I intend to do is to lobby hard for big fines with jail terms for repeat offenders," he stated emphatically.
The group, he said, was still encouraging people to come forward with testimony and to join the group on Facebook or by emailing veriton1@caribsurf.com, to strengthen the lobby against the practice of burning stuff. (LB)
Source: news.barbadostoday.bb
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