Residents are fuming after Police ticketed their cars — at 5 a.m.

Officers issued more than 20 tickets along Glebe Road and Roberts Avenue, in Pembroke, after announcing a crackdown on illegally parked cars in residential areas.

But residents claim they have no option but to park on the roads as the number of people with cars forces them to park on the yellow lines.

Now they are getting a petition to protest about the ticketing and the lack of parking spaces.

Sharon Stevens, who lives on Glebe Road and owns a business there, said people are furious at the Police action and are organising the petition to have the law changed.

She said: “We have the tickets here and we’re signing a petition because this is not right. If people know about Glebe Road, I don’t know where they want us to park.

“We can’t park the cars in our houses, we have to park them somewhere and everyone is so disgusted.

“Everyone’s cars — parked from Glebe Road through Roberts Avenue were ticketed — some people were cursing and some people threw the tickets in the road. “It is obvious the Police had nothing else to do. They need to go out there and find the drug addicts and drug dealers and leave innocent people alone.

“We are working too hard to be paying out money for something that is beyond our control. This is crazy.”

The Royal Gazette received complaints from residents outraged by the mass ticketing which they say happened at 5 a.m. last Thursday.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines defended Police actions, saying: “Those crackdowns were in response to members of the community who complained the parking was a traffic hazard.’’

In response to complaints that Police showed a lack of sensitivity Mr. Caines added: “The law does not make specific requirements for the Police to come up with that solution — the Police are charged with enforcing the law.

“It’s a social issue. For example, it’s like someone breaking into a store to provide food for their baby. Socially I understand the importance that they had no food, but it’s against the law.

“Do we understand it? Yes, but if someone died as a result of coming around a corner late at night speeding through Roberts Avenue and hit a car, the Police would be held accountable.”

When asked about the time the tickets were dished out he added: “Five o’clock, three o’clock, if the vehicles are illegally parked, the time is insignificant.” According to area MP Ottiwell Simmons, it’s an issue that has been ongoing for some time.

Mr. Simmons questioned Police tactics of ticketing cars in the early hours of the morning when there was likely to be less traffic on the roads and obstruction he said.

He revealed that he had already raised the matter with Public Safety and Housing Minister Senator David Burch, who is said to be looking into it.

Mr. Simmons said: “Both areas have complained to me and I have taken up their issue with Senator Burch.

“It is my view, that the people there have no place to park given the circumstances.

“To put a yellow line through there, and (for Police) to come in a sneaky manner, at five o’clock in the morning, when there is likely to be very little traffic, and issue tickets, I don’t agree with that.”