Kudos Accra Police Command
The use of motorbikes for bussiness and especially transportation has become popular in Accra and some parts of the country.
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Patronage in the national capital is huge because in a city where traffic congestion is unbearable and a number of roads are in a deplorable state, the motorbike becomes a convenient means of transport for many people.
Regrettably, however, the motorbikes have been the cause of many preventable accidents, leading to deaths and injuries. the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes has thus both been condemned and defended by different people.
The condemnation includes the allegation that these motorbikes are used by people to commit crime such as robbery.
In an attempt to counter such criminal activities, there have been intermittent swoops by the police, some of which are followed by prosecution based on the road traffic regulations that were promulgated in 2012. For example, in March 2013, 73 commercial motorbike riders and pillions were arrested in Accra by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Police Service, out of which 26 were processed for court, with 20 being fined between GHc600 and GHc1,000 each.
But the arrests have not deterred people from using motorbikes to commit crime. It is in view of this that the Accra Regional police Command in its attempt to ensure that the Yuletide is celebrated in a peaceful manner has deployed 50 motorbike teams to augment the effort of police already in the system. The strategy, called Father Christmas Operation, will counter criminals who will dare commit crimes using motorbikes before, during and after the festivities.
The Daily Graphic highly commends the Accra Regional Police Command for this laudable initiative. We are of the view that this would be replicated across the country. A review of the crime trends for some time now shows that a lot of criminal activities across the country have been carried out by people using motorbikes. Again, most of the traffic offences we see and hear are committed by riders of motorbikes.
The Daily Graphic thus recommends that this operation by the Accra Region will not only concerntrate on activities of the Yuletide but would be extended thereafter. In our opinion, the problem with the use of motorbikes in the country is the indiscipline associated with it. Motor riders cross the red light which has resulted in serious injury to pedestrians. they also use unauthorised parts of the road such as pedestrian walkways, shoulders and islands of roads.
While in many jurisdictions every road user, including the pedestrian, MUST and DOES obey traffic regulations, here many road users, particularly bicycle and motor riders, flout traffic regulations with impunity.
We cannot say all riders of motorbikes are potential criminals. Governments and agencies have given motorbikes to agricultural extension officers, health workers and other professionals for them to carry out supervision and reach out to difficult-to-reach communities.
Even in the cities, there are many who rely on motorbikes to reach their places of work daily.
We thus entreat the police to be professional in carrying out their duties during the implementation of this initiative so that in their attempt to ensure a crime-free society, innocent citizens do not become victims.