"Stop unauthorised motor checks"

Page 47: Daily Graphic, December 15, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ministry of the Interior has directed personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service to stop unauthorised motor checks in the country.
It noted that despite a memo to all regional commanders, particularly those in the Central and Eastern regions, by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on November 20, this year, personnel were still going on rampant unauthorised motor checks.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the activities of those personnel, which were often without the knowledge and consent of their superiors, were acts of gross indiscipline.
He warned that any police officer or group of policemen who would be caught mounting unauthorised motor checks on the highways would be dealt with according to law.
According to him, there were about 10 different checkpoints on the road from Weija to Elmina where police personnel mounted motor checks at night and on weekends.
Nana Boahen said the Nsawam-Asamankese-Akwatia-Kade to Oda route and other parts of the Eastern Region had been noted to be areas where regional MTTU personnel from Koforidua harassed drivers.
He said the Police Administration had initiated various exercises to deal with erring officers and warned that “any persons caught engaging in any kind of unauthorised motor checks, whether with or without permission from any officer, shall be dealt with severely”.
Asked whether the directive was to score political points in the December 28 presidential run-off, Nana Boahen answered in the negative, explaining that the memo from the IGP was issued on November 20, 2008, long before the December 7, general election.
He made it clear that the IGP’s memo stated clearly that in the event of any vehicle being stopped, “it should be checked for arms and ammunition and there should not be any enquiries about documents like drivers’ licences, insurance and roadworthy certificates”.
Nana Boahen said it was important that the people who were mandated to enforce the law abided by it themselves and not act contrary to it.