GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – President Irfaan Ali said on Wednesday that the government is considering establishing special courts to deal with traffic-related matters amid plans to expand the electronic ticketing system launched in April 2025.
Addressing the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Annual Police Officers’ Conference. Ali, the Commander-in-Chief, said the world is being reshaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid digital advancement, and that Guyana must move just as quickly to remain effective.
He said that the centre of the shift is the new e-ticketing system, which is already transforming law enforcement on the road.
Formally known as the Safe Road Intelligent System (SRIS), the automated traffic enforcement network monitors speeding, seatbelt use, and illegal third-lane driving. It uses AI-powered cameras, radar, and cloud infrastructure to issue digital tickets, and already, hundreds of offenders have been hauled before the courts.
“We have started the e-ticketing system that has been working tremendously well,” Ali said, adding that it has brought “sanity on our roadways” by reducing bias and removing much of the human interference that once influenced traffic enforcement.
But the success of the system is creating a new challenge of volume, with technology able to detect and process offences at high speed, and President Ali noting that the traditional court system may soon struggle to keep up.
He said that to deal with the blacklogs and delays, there must be a specialised traffic court.
“Because of the mere speed of this technology and the number of transactions, the judiciary may very well have to look at a specialised court to deal with traffic offences,” he said, noting that if offenders believe cases can be delayed, it could weaken the impact of enforcement.
Ali has since asked the Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond, to examine advancing legislative changes to digitise the entire process.
“E-ticketing, e-prosecution, but importantly, the writs, the warrants, and everything that has to be presented in court, all of this must be on an electronic platform. It is the only way we can achieve and celebrate the fullness of the technology,” he said.
Under the SRIS, the President noted that the government will soon launch a demerit system.
“The points demerit system will be integrated in the e-ticketing system…the amendments will speak to this, how the demerit system will work…how it’s integrated into persons who don’t pay their tickets and the different tiers of suspension for your licence.”
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has admitted that some investigations are taking too long, affecting both case progress and public trust. As a result, a major reform plan is underway.
“We must acknowledge that some crime investigations take too long, affecting public confidence. We are rolling out reforms in phases, with better training and practical systems to make policing more effective,” Hicken said.
He told the opening ceremony that the GPF’s 2027–2031 strategic plan includes a nationwide rollout of the Safe Country Initiative, expanding command centres and CCTV coverage, using artificial intelligence and data for crime prevention, digitising citizen reports, and improving regional dispatch systems to cut response times.
“These reforms will make investigations faster, smarter, and more reliable, giving the public the confidence they deserve.”
In 2025, the GPF recorded a 25 per cent reduction in serious crimes.
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