Crime & Punishment of Friday, 7 October 2005

Source: GNA

Swedru Police MTTU arrest driver

Agona Swedru, Oct 7, GNA - The Swedru Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit have arrested a 30 year-old driver for loading at an unauthorised place and obstructing traffic.

Kweku Ampiah, who was described by the Police as a notorious driver would be put before an Agona Swedru Circuit Court on Friday. Chief Inspector Victor Morchia, second in command of the Swedru Divisional MTTU, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday at Swedru, said Ampiah had been refusing to load at the two lorry stations of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA).

He said that on Thursday afternoon a Taskforce of the Agona District Assembly to check traffic offences including loading outside the two stations arrested him.

According to Chief Inspector Morchia after the taskforce had apprehended him, the driver drove the taskforce members to his master's fitting shop at Gomoa Ekwamkrom, about six miles away from Swedru where he was arrested.

He said Ampiah was arrested some time ago for a similar offence and fined 1.5 million cedis.

Mr Isaac Arthur, Station Master of the PROTOA lorry park and the coordinator of the Taskforce, stated that Ampiah had on four different occasions driven members of the Taskforce to Wawase and also took them to his master's workshop.

He said the driver sometime ago also took an MTTU officer, Inspector Nana Kumi to his master's fitting shop, adding that, as soon they got there the driver asked a welder to work under the minibus as if the vehicle had developed a fault.

Mr Arthur urged MTTU officers in the area to help check drivers who flouted traffic regulations and to ensure sanity at the lorry parks. Chief Inspector Morchia warned that the MTTU personnel would not countenance drivers who flouted the law and said that offenders would be dealt according to the law.