Abuse of privilege

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them; every day begin the task anew. —St Francis de Sales

Dr Martin Luther King maintains that “the time is always right to do what is right.” That is why it has become imperative to alert the Police Administration about the recklessness and irresponsibility on our roads. It has become too rampant these days to see police personnel acting recklessly on our roads and streets, pointing clearly to abuse of privilege. Some of our police personnel who drive service vehicles use the roads as if the police were above the law.

The issue is a bother to most road users and contrasts with a comment on Oman FM highly praising the exceptional conduct of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Yakubu Alhassan. 

Noble conduct of IGP

It was noted that as the IGP moved from his residence to office daily on the busy Legon /Madina road, he did not use the siren to push everybody aside to enable him to move, but rather went through the traffic and stopped at intersections where he had to. Indeed, his humility and nobility were extolled by otherwise critical individuals. Fiifi Boafo is no pretender. That is why I doff my hat to the IGP. The police administration must ensure that such exemplary conduct permeates the whole Ghana Police Service such that the public will not be held to ransom by security personnel, who nonetheless behave as if they own our roads.

Offending security services

The offenders are not limited to police, as they include personnel from the Military, Immigration, Prisons and private security companies, and even civilians with political connections. These security personnel drive on the opposite direction, not because they are mounting any operation but merely to dodge or circumvent traffic.

It is more pronounced within Accra, Spintex Road and on the Kasoa-Winneba Road. Other reckless drivers take advantage of the infractions by the security personnel and join the fray. Beyond service vehicles, the deviants use four-wheel cars, especially those with tinted glasses.  The police are unable to check those who gleefully join the fray because there is no justification for their colleagues in cheating. In situations that some drivers have been bold enough to question such irresponsibility, some of them have been subjected to brutality by the faithless security personnel, compelling the public to look on passively.

Pre-Christmas encounter

A week before Christmas, I encountered one such intance of recklessness. A police driver using a private vehicle loaded with police personnel attempted to use the median as a freeway. I resolved to not move out of my lane and when we got closer he was raving and ranting. But perhaps he saw that I had stickers of Graphic Communications Group, Ghana Journalists Association and Ghana Bar Association, so he only looked on scornfully whilst his passengers waved their hands fruitlessly at me. He was forced to move to his lane and I could hear them cursing me as we passed each other. However, I was glad that I stood my grounds.

Recent discourse

In a recent discourse with a very good friend of mine, he complained about the fact that these days, police dispatch riders had become so common and perhaps so cheap that any citizen is able to engage their services to escort them to their various locations.

Another major area of concern is the ‘Okada’ riders’ total disregard for motor traffic regulations and the obvious negligence of the police in enforcing the rules. The okada riders do not bother about one-way routes or intersections, as they drive in any direction depending on where they want to go.

Role of leadership 

These are serious indictments on the police. Since it has been established that the IGP does not condescend to these, leadership must be exerted to ensure discipline on our roads, otherwise we would continue to experience the irritations of hearse drivers blowing their sirens to be given the right of way at the expense of ambulances.

The level of recklessness and abuse of public trust is such that the legitimate use of sirens and the mandatory obligation to give way to such recognised vehicles has been blunted and made the public insensitive to what is right and just. The public is developing anomie towards such good causes and a time will come when even presidential motorcades would not be given the right of way. 

“A stitch in time saves nine,” whereas “a word to the wise is enough.” Let the noble IGP Alhassan Yakubu impact his lifestyle on the Ghana Police Service and make meaning of the words of Peter F. Drucker when he submits that, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked, leadership is defined by results not attributes,” by ensuring that all recklessness on the roads and misuse of sirens are tamed.