A peace campaign group, National Youth for Peace (NYP), has urged corporate organisations and law makers to support the Ghana Police Service to enable them discharge their duties effectively.
According to the group, as the country gets closer to the Christmas festivities, the problem of car-snatching is expected to soar even though the security agencies over the years have tried to eliminate this problem.
In a press release issued and copied to Today in Accra, the NYP stated that the national head office of the Motto Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service has revealed that the police are not granted the powers of giving permission to vehicle owners in the country hence everyone can decide to change the colour of his or her car without notice or permission from any state institution.
?Though it is important for the state to provide all the needed resources to the police in combating crimes in general, it is also important for it to also provide the law enforcers with adequate legislations to aid them in their daily work. A critical look at the country?s laws on vehicular management must be re-looked to take into account the many challenges the law enforcers go through in resolving issues relating to car-snatching,? it said.
According to the statement, the enactment of such legislations will not only assist the police in eliminating the menace of car-snatching but would also help the revenue agencies recover most of their unpaid vehicle duties.
Making reference to instances where people seeking police reports are required by law to pay some fees to the police, the statement echoed that such legislations would make more resources available to the police in their quest to enforce laws in the country, adding that it would also reduce the incidence of ?hit-and-run? accidents on streets as offenders would be identified even when they run from the accident scene.
Additionally, the statement appealed to the police to check issues of overloading, over-speeding and other unlawful acts that usually endanger lives of motorists and people on the roads.
It also called on the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and private transport unions in the country to improve their standard of services to ensure that passengers receive all the needed comfort and safety, stressing that poor record keeping at various transport stations is worrying.
It said proper identification of passengers at various transport stations just like the airlines do help in identifying passengers in case of any accident and also a reference point in police investigations.
The group however recommended the action of the police, especially the Greater Accra regional command for their prompt action against the current car-snatching syndicate in the Greater Accra and Tema metropolis.
STORY: RAYMOND AWIAGAH, PIJ INTERN
