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Dr George Akuffo Dampare (arrowed) with some courier services operators after the meeting
Dr George Akuffo Dampare (arrowed) with some courier services operators after the meeting
The Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has met courier services operators to outline measures to reduce road crashes and ensure sanity on Ghana’s roads.
The meeting was attended by members of the National Courier Association of Ghana and officials of the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission (PCSRC).
The courier services serve as a key component in the dispatch of items due to their timeliness and reliability.
The activities of members of the association are regulated by the PCSRC, which is the regulator for the postal and courier sector in the country.
Majority of operators in the courier business use motorbikes for their delivery services, complemented with vans, but the Police Administration said it had taken notice of their frequent flouting of road traffic regulations.
It also indicated that data showed that about 50 per cent of road crash deaths at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital were motorbike-related.
Speaking on behalf of the IGP, the Director-General of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Kwesi Ofori, said it had come to the attention of the Police Administration that a number of motorbike riders had been involved in road accidents that resulted in death, while others were either maimed or hospitalised for short and long periods.
“One of our aims is to avert this human error. The Police Administration would like to confer with you to see how best we can live within the tenets of our road and transport regulations to avoid some of these mishaps,” he said.
ACP Ofori urged the courier motorbike riders to obey all traffic regulations, especially at traffic intersections, and be ambassadors who would ensure discipline on the road, “so that other riders may learn from you and obey traffic regulations”.
He also called on them to expose criminals who used motorbikes for criminal activities.
Harassment
Members of the association complained about frequent harassment by the police, especially personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), who arrested them on the least chance.
In response, Mr Ofori said police personnel would be sensitised to the activities of the courier operators to prevent the harassment.
However, he said, the police would fervently enforce the law without fear or favour, “so all you have to do is obey the laws and go about your legal businesses”.
At the end of the meeting, the courier operators agreed to collaborate and come up with some form of identification for their members by early next year to make easy identification possible.
Commission
The Consumer Affairs Manager and Public Relations Officer of the PCSRC, Nii Yeboah Edwin Burgesson, said the mandate of the commission was to promote and encourage the expansion of postal services for the social and economic development of the country.
He said all courier operators were required to register with the commission and be licensed to operate.
In the past, he said, it had collaborated with the MTTD to carry out enforcement exercises to clamp down on illegal operators, especially those who used motorbikes for delivery services without licences.
Source: Daily Graphic.com
