Cabinet, in compliance with existing law, has directed that henceforth, no individual or a group of people can install or use a siren on any official or private vehicle without a written authorisation by the Interior Minister.
Similarly, no person is to utilise police resources, particularly police escort services, without the requisite written authorisation of the Interior Minister or the Inspector General of Police (IGP), acting on behalf of the minister.
Consequently, the Ghana Police Service has been directed to enforce the directive, including the removal and seizure of unauthorised sirens, the discontinuance of unauthorised police escort services and the institution of appropriate legal action where necessary.
Compliance
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, made this known when he read a communication his office received from the Minister for the Interior on the irresponsible use of police resources, such as escort services and the installation and use of sirens on vehicles.
“Honourable Members, the efficient, accountable and lawful utilisation of public resources is a matter of legitimate national interest,” he said.
Fidelity to the law
Mr Bagbin said the communication requested that the directive be brought to the attention of MPs and the Parliamentary Service.
He said the Ghana Police Service performed officially critical constitutional functions relating to the maintenance of law and order, the protection of life and property and the preservation of public safety.
He said its personnel and resources were national assets which must be deployed judiciously, equitably and strictly in accordance with law.
Similarly, he said the indiscriminate installation and use of sirens undermined road safety, weakened public confidence in lawful authority and diminished the effectiveness of emergency and security services whose operations genuinely required priority access.
“Parliament has consistently enacted legislation intended to promote accountability, transparency and the prudent management of public resources.
“As lawmakers and representatives of the people, we bear an even greater obligation to demonstrate fidelity to the laws, the laws that we enact, and to uphold the highest standards of public conduct,” he said.
Seek appropriate guidance
The Speaker encouraged all members of the House to take note of the contents of the directive and to ensure that in the use of police resources, police escort services and sirens, they acted at all times in accordance with the Constitution, the laws of Ghana and all lawful administrative requirements.
“I encourage honourable members who may require clarification regarding the application of the directive in particular circumstances to seek the appropriate guidance through the established institutional channels for compliance in accordance with law,” he said.
Mr Bagbin indicated that the Office of the Speaker would continue to engage constructively with the Executive, the Ghana Police Service and all relevant state institutions on matters affecting security operations, the privileges of MPs and the independence of Parliament, always with a view to strengthening the country’s democratic institutions and advancing the public interest.
Police operation
In a related development, the Ghana Police Service has intercepted 1,054 vehicles in the Greater Accra Region during an ongoing nationwide operation against the illegal use of sirens, strobe lights, beacon lights, unauthorised horns and unlawful vehicle modifications.
The exercise, which began on June 15, 2026, forms part of efforts to enforce the Road Traffic Regulations and improve discipline on the country's roads.
In an update shared on its social media platforms yesterday, the police said drivers who breached the regulations were taken through the relevant provisions of the law, while unauthorised devices and illegal vehicle modifications were removed and seized for further action.
The police said the operation had so far led to the interception of 4,627 vehicles across the country.
It said the nationwide enforcement exercise would continue as officers worked to deal with traffic offences and promote compliance with the Road Traffic Regulations.
Background
The Road and Traffic (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, a legal instrument which will grant privileges to certain state officials and institutions to use sirens on their vehicles or motorcades, was relaid in Parliament two years ago.
The instrument, if approved by the House, would allow the President, the Vice-President as well as the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Ambulance Service to use warning equipment during emergencies.
The amended instrument would, however, not permit the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, ministers of state and Members of Parliament to use motorcades or sirens for official duties.
The instrument was relaid by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, and the Speaker of Parliament referred it to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee for consideration and report.
Earlier withdrawal
On July 16, 2024, the initial instrument, which was first laid on June 14, 2024, was withdrawn after the House rejected the L.I.
That followed a public outrage that saw Ghanaians condemn Members of Parliament for being exempted from joining 'traffic congestion' in the same manner as all other road users.
The public therefore called for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendment to the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) before it matured into law after 21 days.
Attempt to arrest instrument
Prior to the L.I. being laid by the minister, the former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, told the House that he would want to “arrest” the laying of the instrument before it became a law after 21 days.
He said from the copies of the instrument he had perused, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice had been taken off the list of officials that could use sirens on their vehicles.
“Assuming there is a crisis in Ghana that a President has to be sworn in and the Speaker has to be taken from somewhere to where he has to swear in the President, by this provision the Speaker is not entitled to a motorcade or police accompanying siren.
He said in his view, it was wrong for “the Number Three” to be out of the privilege of those allowed to use a motorcade.
“Mr Speaker, you can keep ministers and MPs out, but this Republic has four important personalities-the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker and the Chief Justice. Therefore, taking off the Speaker and the Chief Justice is wrong and untenable,” he said.
