00:00For thousands of fat goers, what should have been a night of entertainment ended in frustration
00:07as vehicles remained bumper to bumper for hours along the western main road
00:12and surrounding arteries in and out of Chagaramas.
00:17Some motorists reported being trapped in traffic well into the following afternoon.
00:21Residents and business operators in the area quickly raised concerns
00:25questioning whether adequate planning had been put in place ahead of the popular stink-and-dutty FET.
00:31But former police commissioner Gary Griffith says public anger has been misdirected.
00:36In a detailed statement, Griffith rejected suggestions that the blame lies with the FET promoters or frontline police officers,
00:43insisting the real problem was a lack of leadership, coordination and operational control.
00:49Griffith said many patrons reported seeing few officers positioned at known choke points
00:55and even fewer senior supervisory officers directing traffic during the critical post-event period.
01:02The former commissioner also raised concern that priority may have been given to providing police escorts for artists,
01:08VIPs and select individuals rather than managing traffic flow for the general public.
01:14He noted that FETs and Chagaramas are not new,
01:18pointing out that similar large-scale events have taken place in the area for decades.
01:22He recalled one year when multiple FETs at O2 Park, Yupik and Peer2 were held on the same night,
01:29attracting crowds of more than 20,000 patrons.
01:32Yet, he said motorists were able to enter and exit the area within minutes, not hours.
01:38He argued with proper planning, such events can be managed efficiently
01:42and can even bring economic benefits to surrounding businesses.
01:45Officers, he said, were strategically positioned, not scattered,
01:50with senior officers overseeing operations and making real-time adjustments as conditions changed.
01:57According to Griffith, the difference then was not manpower, road layout or luck, but leadership on the ground.
02:03The former commissioner also defended the government's decision to move FETs away from residential areas,
02:08saying Chagaramas and Karanaj are more suitable locations once proper systems are in place.
02:15And unless the TTPS improves planning, supervision and leadership at major events,
02:20he says similar traffic chaos is likely to be repeated.
02:24Arvashit Tawari, Rupnarain, TV6 News.
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