The Ghana Police Service has, from June to date, arrested 2,212 vehicles for the unauthorised use of sirens, horns and strobe lights.
The unauthorised devices were removed and seized, with the drivers cautioned against the use of such fittings.
The drivers were warned that a repeat of the use of the devices would result in court actions.
The Director of Research, Education and Training of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, ACP Alexander Obeng, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, said the exercises were carried out in the 25 police operational areas across the country.
“So, what we have done is we stop you, we remove .. and we seize it and warn you,” he explained, and cautioned that when the illegality was repeated, “we would proceed to court”.
Regional statistics
The regional breakdown of the vehicles stopped and illegal gadgets removed is Central East, 573; Ashanti, 530; Volta, 168; Eastern South, 146; Eastern North, 144; Ashanti North, 105; Northern, 103 and Accra, 89.
The other regions are Volta North, 75; Ashanti South, 68; Bono, 55; Western, 41; Upper West, 25; Bono East, 25; North East, 17; Eastern, 15; Central, 13; Western Central, 12 and Central North, eight.
There were no arrests in the remaining regions of Tema, Western North, Oti, Savanna, Upper East and Ahafo.
Measures
Throwing further light on the development, ACP Obeng explained that the measures that had been put in place were working perfectly, adding that “we are all over Ghana in the 25 police regions”.
He said the police were sanitising the environment and that those who would not adhere to the Inspector General of Police’s warning would have their gadgets removed and seized.
“We remove and seize, and so far we have stopped 2,212 vehicles within a month and have removed sirens and beacons and all unauthorised devices on vehicles,” he said.
ACP Obeng said the manufacturing of vehicles came with certain homologation standards that guaranteed roadworthiness, occupant safety, and environmental protection, among others.
Movements
Driving, he said, thrived on seeing and being seen, and that the lights in front and at the rear were designed for easy movements during the day and in the night.
That, he said, ensured that they would see clearly around them.
ACP Obeng said the police had observed that some people were abusing the seized lights, creating visual challenges for approaching and receding vehicles or motorists and sometimes blurring their vision, thereby leading to crashes that were avoidable.
Also, he said the acoustic noise created by the sirens of unauthorised vehicles was against the road law and that “that is why the police are on the road to ensure that we sanitise …to ensure that only vehicles that are permitted to be retrofitted with such sirens, strobe lights/beacon lights are allowed and so it is the reason why we have deployed ourselves and to actively engage the general public.
Reminder
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has reminded the public that the unauthorised use of sirens, horns, strobe lights, and other emergency warning devices was prohibited under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
It said the service had noted the misuse of those devices, which posed a serious risk to public safety by creating unnecessary panic among road users and contributing to traffic indiscipline.
“The Police, therefore, urge all persons who have installed such devices on their vehicles without lawful authority under Regulation 74 of L.I. 2180 to remove them immediately,” it said in a statement, adding that “Ongoing nationwide enforcement operations have already resulted in the arrest of several offenders”.
It said the police would continue to intensify the enforcement exercise to arrest offenders, promote safety, order and discipline on the nation's roads.
