It would be recalled that the Attorney General’s Office directed the Ghana Police Service to halt the seizure of vehicles for minor traffic violations.
The directive, addressed to the Inspector General of Police, cites a surge in public grievances, including those from legal experts and high-ranking officials, over the police’s practice of confiscating vehicles under the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 (L.I. 2180).
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, highlighted that the regulation stipulates fines or imprisonment as penalties for minor infractions, thus making vehicle impoundment an excessive measure not supported by Regulation 158 or L.I. 2180.
The Member of Parliament for the Wa West District in the Upper East Region, Peter Lanchene Toobu, reacting to the issue on the Day Break Upper East Show today, explained that the directive by the AG is quite conflicting because the AG could have reached out to the police administration and had conversations instead of issuing the letter that was issued.
“What is it that the Office of the Attorney General and the Police cannot sit and discuss, such that the AG would be the one to issue directives to the police service that henceforth, this must seize and all that? Legally, there is no problem, but administratively, there is,” he asked.
Additionally, Mr. Toobu argued that the AG’s directive may make it difficult for the police to enforce laws.
“These matters have been in the law for many years back when L.I. 2180 was propounded, that is why the police introduced the technology to ensure that TrafficTech would work. If you are arrested, you are given a spot fine, you don’t need to have your vehicle impounded. We do not need to collect anything. It is a misdemeanor. The problem we have in this country is, we have identity and addressing challenges. If we don’t have identity and addressing challenges, why do you have to impound anybody’s car?” he asked.
Mr. Toobu called on the Office of the Attorney General and the Ghana Police Service to have a discussion on the practicality of the AG’s directive, considering the identity and addressing challenges in the country.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Bolgatanga|
