As part of an intensified effort by the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on indiscipline on roads to help reduce rampant crashes, the police administration has begun training private motor riders on how to ensure sanity on the road.
The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has identified rider indiscipline as one of the leading causes of road crashes in Ghana.
Accidents of such nature have led to numerous deaths and injuries.
Joseph Kojo Lartey, a dispatch rider, recounts how his colleague recently died in a crash as a result of rider indiscipline.
“An example is, just recently, one of my colleagues died after he was involved in a crash. This is because there is that rush to make more rounds to earn more money”.
The Ghana Police Service says it is worried about the rate at which more road crashes involving motorbikes are being recorded across the country.
It thus believes that training more riders will curb the phenomenon.
The police say over thirty riders in the Ashanti region who have been trained on responsible riding are the first of many to be taken through the process in the region.
The police noted that similar training programmes occur in various regions across the country.
“This is a very strategic decision taken by the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, and members of the police administration. These Police Certified riding ambassadors would be the pivot for change in respect of motorcycle involvement in road accidents. By so doing, we train them and offer them all the necessary assistance. We will make sure that we change the accident pattern on our roads to avoid deaths, injuries and untold hardship on our youth,” DCOP Kwesi Ofori, the Director-General of Public Affairs at the Ghana Police Service stated.
Speaking to journalists in Kumasi, DCOP Kwesi Ofori added that the police will also continue arresting reckless riders to ensure sanity on the roads.
“Operation PARI, Police Action Against Rider Indiscipline, is also ongoing. That one is being championed by police officers using our cameras, intelligence, and observing the movement of riders among others. They are all over the country and are working very well”.
He says the police’s checks show that their enforcement efforts have begun yielding fruit as many riders are now complying with road traffic regulations.
The riders drawn from many areas in the Ashanti region, who have been trained as Ghana Police Certified riding ambassadors, told Citi News they have been exposed to a number of things that will help in drastically reducing road crashes.
“At first, I used to flout the traffic regulations but after going through this training, I will strictly abide by the road safety measures. I will also tell other riders to do the same,” one of the riders told Citi News.
DCOP Kwesi Ofori says this initiative forms part of the plans of the Inspector General of Police to institute reforms within the police service to bring about more professionalism.