Young police officer dies while on duty |28 July 2014

The police are mourning the death of a young and well-disciplined police officer –Erickson Jules – who passed away in the early hours of yesterday after a hit-and-run incident.

The incident happened when Jules was performing spot check duties in the vicinity of the Vehicle Testing Station and Victoria South Petrol Station.
Constable Jules, 19, was among five of his traffic section colleagues when he was hit by a car coming down towards Victoria.

According to reports the car which Constable Jules had signaled to stop slowed down and then suddenly sped off, hitting the officer in the process. The car then left the scene. The incident occurred at around 11.05pm on Saturday night.

While the police were trying to locate the culprit following information as to who the owner or driver might be, a 24-year-old man of La Louise whom the police had suspected reported himself to the Central Police Station in the company of his father.

The suspect was formally arrested and detained in cell pending investigation. Breathalyser test performed on the driver at the time of his report to the Central Police Station showed that alcohol content in his body was well above limit prescribed by the law. He is expected to appear before court today.

Constable Jules, who has suffered severe injuries to the head, ribs and legs, was declared dead at around 1.40am. He had been on active duty for around a year now since completing an 18-month Certificate in Policing training at the Police Academy last year.

The police have said that the number of fatal accidents registered so far this year has already surpassed the total of eight recorded for the whole of last year. Following yet another tragic and fatal accident, the police are once again appealing to all road users to be more responsible and careful while taking to the road.

A stronger appeal is to respect and abide by police directives while they are performing their duties.