Luck eluded the driver of a commercial bus (trotro) yesterday when he purportedly attempted to bribe the driver of COP Rose Bio Atinga, Director-General of the Ghana Police Administration, in the full glare of curious bystanders.
The suspect, Kwame Adanu, driver of a Kasoa bound trotro with registration number GE 3169-12, allegedly handed a GH¢10 note to the driver of Bio Atinga – who is a police officers at Weija in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, during a routine road check.
The huge police presence on the highway was not enough to deter Adanu, who is said to have remarked in Twi that “the police will eat today,” when he handed the money to the officer.
An eyewitness said realizing the enormity of the offence, the driver started begging profusely, insisting that he did not intend to bribe the police officer.
The witness said the trotro driver was immediately whisked away to the police station in a waiting police vehicle parked nearby.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the driver of the green Splinter vehicle was most likely to be charged with the offence of bribing a police officer.
Meanwhile, the road check, which lasted over four hours, saw the police impounding over 100 commercial vehicles for various road offences.
Most drivers plying the Weija-Kasoa route were found to be driving rickety vehicles and without licence.
Some vehicles had their lights popping out while others had theirs covered with cello tape.
Earlier in an interview with journalists, COP Bio Atinga said the police had realized that there had been an upsurge of indiscipline on the roads culminating in accidents and loss of lives.
Citing the Tema motorway accident on Sunday as an example, she said those found culpable of any road offence would be processed for court to face the full rigors of the law.
The Director-General of the Police Administration indicated that owners of vehicles with drivers without licences would also be prosecuted.
She said, “People who are not authorized to drive are behind steering wheels; in the event of any accident, insurance cannot cover any of the victims.”
COP Rose Bio Atinga and DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohonu, Accra Regional Police Commander led the joint team of Police Management Board (POMAB) and officers drawn from the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD).
