Police Camera Grabs 40

A police video clip, a new system instituted by the Police Administration to view and check unlawful parking and dropping of passengers at unauthorized areas in the country, has led to the arrest of 40 drivers operating within the Accra metropolis.

The drivers, who were said to be running from Dome, Taifa, Lapaz and other parts of Accra to Circle, were videoed by the Police System Unit and later arrested by the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Accra Main yesterday.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, the Commander of Accra Main MTTU, ACP Daniel Julius Avorga stated that the video was instituted a week ago to arrest drivers who park in the streets and drop passengers unlawfully, thereby causing traffic congestion at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

“These bad attitudes of some of the drivers congest certain parts of the highways thereby causing serious traffic in the metropolis.

One often sees some conductors and mates in the street looking for passengers, which in effect inhibit the free movement of other vehicles.”

The drivers were caught at the Ghana Commercial Bank Towers and the Ghana Telecom Towers, both at Circle.

The MTTU boss indicated that the lay-by created by the Department of Urban Roads in front of the GCB towers was not meant to be used as lorry park, as such drivers who park there are flouting the laws of the land.

The Commander revealed that the exercise would be repeated at Mallam Junction, 37 Roundabout, Shiashie and some portions of Adenta.

He also appealed to hawkers who sell on the pavements to desist from the act so pedestrians would not to be forced to walk on the roads.

Meanwhile, the names of some of the arrested drivers were given as Philip Tei, Kwabena Alordey , Kofi Mensah, George Twumasi, Samuel Oti Akenten and Yahyaya Yakubu.

The rest included Ebenezer Boakye, Arhin John, Edward Opoku and Samuel Amananing, who have been processed to appear in a Motor Court today, March 18, 2008.

In an interview with some of the arrested drivers who were being detained at the Accra Central Police Station, they indicated that they were really taken unawares, saying they had to admit the offence when the video was played to them.

“We did not know that we had been videoed until it was showed to us.”

By Linda Tenyah