Providence Magistrate’s Court converted to ‘Traffic Court’

The East Bank Corridor at the junction of the Demerara Harbour bridge

Persons who find themselves on the other side of the law for traffic violations between Agricola and Further up on the East Bank Demerara will have their matters called in the Providence Magistrate’s Court only.

On Wednesday Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings- Edwards said that over the years, the Providence Magistrates’ Court which has two courtrooms and manned by two separate magistrates, proved to be consistently overloaded with both traffic and summery offences.

“Providence and the Diamond/ Grove area on the East Bank corridor then will have three magistrates presiding at the courts. All traffic matters will be dealt with at the providence Magistrate court and i have seen the statistics which inform our decision, the traffic matters are numerous and the Providence Magistrates Court then will become a specialized courts and all other summery matters will be dealt with at this [Diamond/Grove] court.” Cummings- Edwards related.

The justice was at the time speaking at the opening ceremony of the Diamond/ Grove Magistrates Court which was officially commissioned this morning by President David Granger.

It was noted by the Chancellor that emerging and new housing developments have placed an extra burden on the operations at the Providence Court. 

“It is no secrete that Providence is one of the busiest courts in Guyana that court was in-existence before the year 1952” justice commence stated as she added “From 1902 to now, there have been many housing schemes and communities that have blossomed on the East Bank of Demerara we have seen Housing developments at Farm, at Mocha, Providence, Eccles, Herstelling and Prospect just to name some of them”

It was noted that the increase in population did not go unnoticed by the judiciary who had approach then Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud to allow the court to use a building designated for police housing, as a temporary courtroom, that permission was granted and saw the court then sporting two courtroom with at least one magistrate who worked way into the evenings in an effort to ease the backlog of cases.

With the advent of this courthouse we can now safely return one of the demise premises to the police for use for which it was originally intended, that is for accommodation for the ranks.

With two senior magistrates, the volume is still high, Senior Magistrate Scarce, Sunil Scarce was working almost every day to almost 6 pm and the load was still every increasing on the east bank. About 90 percent of the litigation in the criminal justice system emanates from the magistrates courts” Chancellor Cummings Edwards posited.