Cold War In Police

Directives and counter-directives at the Police headquarters are threatening the integrity of the top echelon of this foremost internal security organization.

The Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service is particularly suffering the brunt of the directive and counter-directives regarding motor checks on the roads.

Personnel of the unit have virtually been rendered redundant, looking on as assortment of road traffic offences are committed by especially commercial drivers. Last week, the Commanding Officer of the MTTU, ACP Awuni Angwubutogwe, was directed to arrest motor cyclists who jumped red lights, an offence they had committed with impunity since the issuance of COP Rose Bio Atinga’s directive stopping motor checks.

No sooner than ACP Awuni issue a directive to this effect than it was countered by another signal message, leaving the rank and file personnel to wonder what was happening at the top.

Latest is a signal issued and signed by the Chief Staff Officer (CSO) of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Fred Adu Anim, to all regional, divisional commanders, commander of the MTTU, and all commanders of MTTUs, asking them to disregard ACP Awuni’s declared operation red light.

The signal stated, “INGPOL (Inspector General of Police) directs the suspension of motor checks still in force.”

All policemen across the length and breadth of the country have thus been told by the Chief Staff Officer who derives his authority right from the IGP, “You are therefore to disregard the signal under reference as it was not authorized by INGPOL” and asked to treat the signal as “very urgent”.

It is not clear what necessitated the taking of this decision by the IGP and those at the helm of affairs at the police headquarters, considering the confusion it is creating between service personnel and motor users.

A policeman who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity said, “Now we don’t even check road, insurance and their license even though some of them are using expired documents. When you try to check, they ask you whether you have not heard they should not be checked or threaten to report you, so we have stopped.”

Sources have told DAILY GUIDE that the decision has the backing of government and that it is intended to entice especially commercial drivers whose confidence in Mills administration is dwindling to vote for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 2012 general elections.

Some have also expressed concern about the directive to check especially motorbikes in view of the fact that they have often been used to snatch ballot boxes during elections.

The fear is that if left to operate without checks, some of these ‘Okada men’ can use their motorbikes for such purposes.

The relationship between the Commanding Officer of the MTTU and COP Rose Bio Atinga, his kinswoman, is anything but rosy. It has been so for some time now.

The woman sought to control the MTTUs in the various Police formations in the Greater Accra Regional Command when she was the regional commander.

But with ACP Awuni finding that anomalous and insisting that was out of order, the matter attracted the attention of the IGP.

The frosty relationship appears to be rearing its head in one way or the other in the directives and counter-directives being issued about motor checks.

In a related development, some concerned motorists have expressed dismay at the directive barring policemen from checking vehicles. An anonymous motorist wondered what the intention of the originators of the directive was.

With such a counter-directive, motorcyclists have been given the green light to ignore the traffic lights and even laugh at the traffic cops as they stand arms folded by the roadside.