THE Police Service has given a stern directive asking persons and institutions which have installed unauthorised horns and sirens on their vehicles to dismantle them or suffer the consequences. The police further warned that they will begin a crackdown on the practice from Wednesday, April 12, 2017.
“THE Police Administration hereby wishes to caution all unauthorised persons and institutions which have installed and are using sirens and horns to cease the practice, since defaulters shall be prosecuted,” a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service, Superintendent of Police, Mr. Cephas Arthur, said.
IN the said statement, the police went on to remind the public that only six categories of vehicles are allowed to use horns and sirens. These, the statement disclosed, are government vehicles for official purposes by the Head of State, police vehicles, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) vehicles, ambulances of hospitals, clinics, recognised government security services and bullion vehicles registered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
INDEED, Weekend Today is excited to hear that the Police Administration has issued an ultimatum to this effect and has also expressed readiness to deal with the abuse of siren use. This is not the first time such an ultimatum has been issued in this country regarding the use of siren.
ONE may ask: what has necessitated this directive from the Police High Command this time again? The answer is simple: it is because the abuse has become endemic and also the fact that criminals may use this as a means to commit more crimes.
BUT Mr. IGP, Weekend Today believes that when it comes to those who are culpable, we can say that some of them are from your outfit. We do come across police officers abusing the use of sirens. At the sight of traffic, some officers blare their sirens just so that they can make their way through traffic congestions.
THERE are even instances where some police officers use the sirens to get through heavy traffic just so that they can drop their children off at school on time. The abuse has become so common that some motorists become confused and are torn in between whether to give way or not. This, Weekend Today believes, does not bode well as it can lead to unnecessary delays of ambulances rushing critically ill persons to the hospital or the Ghana National Fiore Service (GNFS) answering a distress call.
THUS, Weekend Today wishes to seize this opportunity to advise the six institutions which are allowed to use sirens against abusing it. There is no need to use the siren when the need has not arisen.
IT is therefore our expectation that the Police Administration will carry through this ultimatum to bring an end to the abuse of the use of sirens in this country.
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