Regional News of Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Source: GNA

Jomoro Police educate motorists

The Jomoro District Police Command in Western Region has embarked on District-wide road safety campaign to sensitize drivers in ensuring accident free travel, particularly, in this Easter.

The District recorded many accident cases last year with six fatalities.

The District Police Commander, Superintendent John Ferguson Dzineku, said these at a meeting with about 80 Taxi and Trotro drivers of the area at the main Half-Assini-Takoradi Station, on Monday.

He said he had observed with grave concern that wrong parking, over-speeding and street loading by some of the drivers at Half-Assini, were among the main causes of accidents.

Overloading of passengers, high adjustment of car boots, and driving without licenses, he said, would no longer be tolerated by his office, hence the programme.

Superintendent Dzineku said some drivers obtained their professional driver's licenses through contractors without their fingerprints being taken by Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), but these were fake documents.

He said, the genuine licenses had the Coat of Arms on its extreme right top corner, while the fake ones had it in its middle and urged drivers to be mindful of that.

The District Police Commander said some drivers did not obey the sirens of convoys, National Ambulances or the Fire Service and asked them to make crossing of convoys "No go Areas" to save lives and property.

He advised motor riders to get their licenses, ensure that their bikes were registered, and always wear their crash helmets with their pillion riders, to avoid prosecution.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Charles Mensah, the District Crime officer, said the performance of Police should not be measured by the number of cases they prosecuted but by their ability to reduce the crime rate to the minimum.

On smuggling, he urged drivers not to aid nation wreckers to smuggle Petrol and other essential commodities beyond the borders, otherwise they would sabotage the nation's ailing economy.

Nana Erzoa Kaku Kpanyinli I, chief of Enzemetianu, who doubles as the chairman of the Half-Assini Branch of the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), lauded the programme and commended the Police Service for it.