Koforidua Senior High School

BM Kings,   manufacturers of  reflect jackets and vehicle number plates, has presented a breath analyser, also known as alcohol meter, to the Eastern Regional branch of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service.

The machine can produce features such as the name of the driver under check, time of check, and location at which the driver was checked, and would be used to check drivers who take in alcohol before driving.

Presenting the machine to the Regional Commander of the MTTU, Supt. James Sarfo Peprah, in his office here in Koforidua at a short but impressive ceremony, the Communications Manager of the company, Mr. Daniel Kissi Adjaben, said the presentation of the machine was in response to an appeal made by the Vice President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, recently.

According to him, the Vice President, at a recent function, called on corporate organisations to assist the police in particular, and other related bodies in the fight to curb accidents in the country.

To him, it was an open secret that some drivers take in little or heavy alcohol before, during and after their day-to-day activities, which has contributed to some of preventable road crashes in the country.

This, Mr. Adjaben explained that in order to avert and impress on drivers to stop imbibing alcoholic drinks in the course of their work, the police, which is the primary stakeholder, should be well-resourced.

The Eastern Regional MTTU Command is the third to benefit from the company after the Ashanti and Western Regions.

The BM Kings Communications Manager gave assurance of the commitment of his office to providing the rest of the regions with the gadget.

On his part, the Eastern Regional MTTU Commander expressed appreciation to the company, and promised putting the machine into good use.

He, however, called on other corporate bodies and drivers to support and corporate with the MTTU in the discharge of its duties, since they were not the various roads to disturbed anyone, but rather to ensure the security of drivers, passengers, and other road users.

In a related development, the Regional MTTU, last Tuesday held a meeting with the leadership of all transport unions in the region, to brainstorm on ways and measures to ensure an accident-free Christmas.

During the meeting, it was suggested that the Regional Police Command would provide escort to all commercial transport, in order to provide the safety of the passengers and the drivers, as there had been several armed robbery attacks on some identified routes.

Some of the identified routes include Koforidua-Mamfe, Larteh-Ayikuma, Adukrom-Aseseeso roads, which are becoming armed robbery prone areas, particularly, during festive seasons.

But, the leaders of the transport unions had different idea, as they suggested intensive patrols and more check points on the roads, other than placing personnel in the vehicles to escort them.

That notwithstanding, the Regional Command has warned any prospective armed robber to be on the guard, since they (police) would make life uncomfortable for them.