Security scales up operations to enforce restrictions on movement

Checkpoints have increased on most of the roads in Accra and Tema, as the Operation COVID-19 Safety team steps up efforts to enforce the movement-restriction directive.

On the first day of the directive, security presence was more at the main entry points to the regions affected by the directive, while the roads were mostly free.

However, the Daily Graphic observed yesterday that there was more security visibility on the roads. On a stretch that leads into town, as many as six checkpoints could be counted.

For instance, from Tema to Accra, there were about seven checkpoints, with a similar situation prevailing on the Adenta-Accra route, as well as on the Spintex-Tetteh Quarshie stretch.

From one point to another, one encountered teams of police and military officers who had mounted checkpoints and were scrutinising commuters who had to justify their being out with either their ID cards or tangible reasons.

Scaled up exercise

A source close to the Operational Centre of the Operation COVID-19 Safety, as the enforcement team is nicknamed, told the Daily Graphic that security had been stepped up on the internal roads for the exercise to achieve its intended purpose.

It explained that the decision was taken after a review of the first day of enforcement of the restrictions on movements in Greater Accra, Tema, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa.

It said the Operation COVID-19 Safety was a humanitarian exercise that sought to protect the lives of citizens and also ensure that people complied.

“The exercise is to ensure that people comply with the directive, as there is the tendency that after a few days they would want to see if they can have their way,” the source explained to the Daily Graphic.

Senior men join in

As part of the scale-up in the exercise, all management members of the Police Administration were yesterday deployed to all the sectors in Accra and Kasoa to supervise the work of security personnel enforcing the restriction on movements.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also deployed its commissioned officers to support the exercise.

Besides that, the number of security men and checkpoints were also increased to deal with any abuse of the situation.

Scrutiny

At most of the checkpoints, the Daily Graphic observed that security officials took a moment to talk to passengers in vehicles to ensure that they fell within the exempted group.

They asked the reason the passengers were stepping out and sometimes checked their IDs to be sure.

For those who were found trying to cross from one side of the road to the other, they had to give a reason, else they were turned away.

For instance, at the checkpoint close to the Kpeshie Lagoon, two people were turned back when they could not give any tangible reason for being out, while three people were turned away at the Madina Zongo Junction.

Concerns

The source expressed concern that some Ghanaians affected by the restrictions seemed not to understand the import of the directives.

 “People do not understand why they must stay at home. They come out to check if the police will arrest them,” it added.

Social distancing

It said another observation made was the fact that Ghanaians were still not observing the social (physical) distancing protocol, saying: “You can find so many people crowded at a joint to buy food, without observing the protocol.”

It stressed the need for citizens to be responsible and act in the interest of themselves, their families and society as a whole.

The Daily Graphic observed that to ensure that commercial drivers complied with the directive to carry fewer passengers, their vehicles were stopped and their above-the-number passengers asked to come down, to be put on the next trotro which had space.

Traffic build-up

From the Spintex Road, Edmund Smith-Asante also reports that traffic built up at many of the barriers mounted by the police but jointly manned with military men.

At both checkpoints at the Coca-Cola Roundabout and the Manet Junction, intense traffic had built up and it took not less than 30 minutes at both ends to go through.

It was noticed that the drivers and occupants of vehicles were quizzed by policemen and military men on where they were going and asked to provide a form of identification.

Loitering pedestrians were also asked to show their ID cards and those who fell in the category of critical essential staff were allowed to proceed.

Flouting the rule

In an interview, the Okpoi Gonno District Police Commander, DSP Sylvanus Azure, said: “When it started yesterday it was okay; things were moving well, but it seems today things have changed, especially the commercial vehicles (taxis and trotros).

“They are flouting the directive and taking a lot of people, instead of the required number they are required to take. So a new directive has come that all commercial vehicles, whether taxis or trotros, should return with the passengers, so that is what we have been doing here.”

Explaining that that was why there was so much traffic, he said: “We turn back all taxis and trotros with the passengers.”

He, however, could not give the exact number of vehicles that had been turned back, but said they were a lot, adding that some commuters were asked to get down and made to continue their journey on foot.

He said that was the major challenge being experienced at the barrier, adding that the education on the reason for the restriction on movements might not have been fully understood.

“The excuses they give are not part of what they are supposed to do. People do not give tangible reasons they are outside,” he said, with some exasperation.