Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - The Ghana Police Service on Monday warned vehi= cle owners about rising cases of car snatching and advised the public to be careful to avoid falling victim to the criminals. A statement on Monday signed by Chief Inspector Kwaku Dompreh of the=
Greater Accra Police Public Affairs Unit said KIA Pride, Toyota Indigo, Infiniti, VW Touareg, Lexus and other 4x4 vehicles were those that were commonly snatched because they were fast and sometimes became very diffic= ult to be chased by most police vehicles. The Police announced a series of measures including being careful wh= en driving to outlandish areas because it was dangerous. It said driving late in the night was dangerous and advised drivers who worked late to be careful who they picked especially young men because ma= ny of them might be carrying pistols. The statement advised drivers to go a little further from where the passenger wants to alight or when the passenger wants them to stop to urinate because their accomplices might be hiding there. Drivers should be careful if the passenger asked that somebody shoul= d be picked on the way. They should also observe their driving mirrors to ensure that they were not being trailed.
It said if a vehicle was trailing, the driver must drive to the near= est police station or where he could get help and they must always remove the=
ignition key when they are out of the vehicle. The statement cautioned against giving lift to strangers especially ladies because they might be accomplices.
It also cautioned against using the same routes and asked drivers wh=o arrived home late to ensure that family members came out to observe the surroundings before they entered their homes. "Beware of attractive fares, they are mostly to entice you; avoid go= ing to unfamiliar places; do not give your vehicle to spare drivers and obser= ve the behaviours of passengers." To those who want to buy vehicles, it advised that they always check=

the chassis numbers to ensure that they had not been tampered with. It added that all documents be checked with the appropriate authorit= ies before the vehicle of purchased. The statement said all Divisional and District commanders and the Public Relations Officers had been tasked to move to taxi ranks to educat= e taxi drivers and their union members on the latest car snatching methods. It said the Regional Command would continue to hold radio programmes= to educate the general public on the subject while taxi union executives had=

also been asked to continuously alert members on the measures. It said it was the administration's hope that these would help reduc= e the issue of car snatching in the country. 14 Dec. 09