IGP, this must not be a nine-day wonder

The Police Administration has directed the dismantling of unauthorised horns and sirens on vehicles of individuals and institutions not sanctioned to mount them, in the first place, or face prosecution.

Having sent a circular around warning even police officers who abuse the facilities to desist from the act or face disciplinary action, the police say they will begin a crackdown on the practice from next Wednesday.

The Daily Graphic is happy that the Police High Command has issued this ultimatum and is ready to deal with the unfortunate abuse of siren use.

Siren abuse has been a long-standing challenge which the public has, on several occasions, criticised and expressed reservation about.

It is not uncommon to see different institutions and individuals honking their horns and blaring sirens whenever there is a gridlock. These include well-dressed gentlemen and, on a few occasions women, who are supposed to know better.

Taxis carrying sick person(s) and hearses carrying corpses cannot be left out. Then there are those vehicles which come with all manner of stickers which deceitfully empower them to indulge in the illegality on our roads.

Since indiscipline anywhere is indiscipline everywhere, it is ironical to find the very police and security officers who are supposed to enforce and respect laws and regulations abusing them. Instead of waiting their turn in traffic like everybody else, they rather take pride in the state power behind them to contravene the law.

Shockingly, sometimes, they do this as a means of catching up with self-inflicted lateness to send their wives to the market or children to school.

State Protocol Department vehicles, police vehicles, vehicles of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), ambulances of hospitals or clinics, recognised government security services and bullion vehicles should not abuse the privilege under L.I. 2180 by thinking they are better than the rest. This is not a case of Animal Farm, where some animals are more equal than others.

The Daily Graphic believes that if the use of sirens and horns is not done within the law, the sheer abuse could have dire consequences, such as people no longer respecting sirens anytime they are used legitimately.

Just imagine motorists not respecting the loud persistent siren of an ambulance trying to cut through jam-packed traffic with a critically ill patient to get to a referral hospital, especially when, moments after, you receive a phone call that suggests the patient was your close relative.

The Daily Graphic wants to remind the Police Administration and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in particular that this is the fifth time or so since 2011 that such a warning has been issued. What may have caused the little success in previous attempts could well be the lack of ‘political will’ to enforce the directive.

Although the IGP has assured Ghanaians that the Police Administration will set up a special unit and equip its officers with motorbikes to track unauthorised users of horns and sirens, the exercise should be sustained and ultimately institutionalised to curb the practice.

The IGP should be encouraged that the majority of Ghanaians support the action to clamp down on the nauseating behaviour by some motorists and would be looking forward keenly to the successful implementation of the directive to curb this rather institutionalised nuisance.