Accra, April 16, GNA - A ten-day skill enhancement training for twenty-seven police escorts riders, including two instructors opened on Friday with a call on the public to comply and respond to directives given by Police escorts, to help minimise accidents involving VIP's. In a speech read for him by Mr. Andrews Kwesi Gyabaah, Commissioner for Technical and General Services, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, entreated the riders to respect the public in the course of their duties, to help secure their own lives and that of other road users.

He noted that motor traffic accidents involving Police dispatch riders recently claimed the lives of six of the best riders the country had ever had in many years and stressed the need to avoid any such occurrences.

The 30,000-dollar training programme, packaged by the Overseas Union Limited, the principal distributors of Honda Motorcycles in Ghana in collaboration with the Honda Motor Company, Tokyo, was aimed at stemming the rate of accidents and deaths that occur when VIP escorts are executing their duties.

The trainees would be taken through convoy organisation and manoeuvres to take care of essential attributes required to ensure a high measure of safety, development of sound judgement when escorting, machine control, preparation and management as well as health and safety while on the road.

The IGP urged the trainees to be submissive during the training and ensure that they adopt new safer techniques in addition to what they already have for enhanced performance.

Mr. Acheampong urged stakeholders, including the Police Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), the National Road Safety Commission and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to intensify their support programmes for minimising road accidents. He further cautioned police dispatch riders who operated with unregistered motorcycles to harass and extort monies from unsuspecting members of the public to stop or face the full rigors of the law when arrested.

Mr Christian Adu Atiamo, Chief Director, Office of the President, stated that the poor skills of some police escorts, coupled with the high degree of recklessness on the part of other road users were the results of the high rate of road accidents.

He therefore, commended the sponsors of the training for the great service they had offered to the country and pledged government's support top ensure quality escort riding to save the President and other VIP's from further embarrassments of having their convoys involved in accidents.

He urged the Police Administration to sustain the spirit of co-operation that had been opened with the Honda Motor Company and ensure that the training programme became an annual event. 16 April 05.