TEMA REGIONAL MTTU HOLDS DURBAR (PAGE 47)

Story: Rose Hayford Darko & Anasthesia Dzovor, Tema

Officers of the Tema Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) have been asked to extend their duties to include protection of life, giving direction to strangers and assisting children and the aged when they go on road duties.
They must not limit themselves to the enforcement of laws, checks on vehicle documents and arrests alone, the Tema Regional Commander of Police (DCOP) John Kudalor has said.
DCOP Kudalor was addressing officers and men of the unit in the region at a police durbar held in Tema on Friday.
He advised the officers to show respect to road users, explaining that some police personnel on the road were arrogant, rude and indisciplined, traits that gave a bad name to the service.
DCOP Kudalor said some of them arrested vehicles instead of the drivers and inconvenienced passengers.
He said many police stations had been littered with vehicles because of the actions of these personnel and urged them to desist from making such arrests.
DCOP Kudalor said drivers must be held for their own misdeeds and that passengers must not be made to suffer adding that the police must enforce the law in a humane manner to command the respect of the public.
DCOP Kudalor urged police personnel to be a source of encouragement to the public and serve as a morale booster.
He cautioned that his advice must not discourage them but rather strengthen them to do their work creditably.
On the elections, the regional police boss said they must be alert and ensure that they performed creditably.
He commended the personnel for their recent peaceful and successful operation to check drivers’ documents and appealed to them to keep it up.
DCOP Kudalor said the durbar would be made a quarterly event to afford the personnel the opportunity to share ideas and correct the public’s perception of the police.
The Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Joshua Dogbeda, expressed concern about the way radio presenters made announcements before certain cases were reported to the police. He explained that victims of armed robbery, assault and other anti-social events had resorted to going to radio stations to make reports instead of going to the police station or calling the police information room for assistance.
Chief Superintendent Dogbeda observed that the electronic media were at fault because they had made culprits escape arrest.
He appealed to the radio stations to assist the victims to telephone the police and not make announcements on radio with the aim of causing arrests to be made.
The durbar afforded the personnel the opportunity to air some of their personal views on issues which had been agitating them and also made contributions to help the police work effectively.