<<Print>>

The Director for Education, Research and Training at the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Alexander Obeng has said that the implementation of spot fines will reduce the incidence of public police corruption. According to DSP Obeng, the fines were also to assist in preventing overcrowding of the courts and prisons with various road traffic offenders. �� Apart from non compliance, some of the offenses should not delay the offender unnecessarily not only because of macro and economic effects and also not to go to the court and crowd the place as well as not putting unnecessary pressure on the police so we can be free to deal with more grievous issues� the prison officer will therefore not be overburdened. It will also reduce the incidence of public police corruption,� he stated. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, DSP Obeng further stated that the fines will be taken till the offender breaks the law for the sixth time; after which there will be an arrest and prosecution by the court. �The law is that when you are met during the pilot, we point the offense out to you and issue you a spot fine ticket per the regulation� since you are a first time offender, the value should not be more than GH60, second offense, not more than GHc60; third offense, not more than GHc60; fourth offense, not more than GHc120; fifth offense, not more than GHc180; sixth offense, we will not entertain you but rather arrest you properly, charge you on a prescribed CID form and go to court,� he noted. He further mentioned that even though they will face a few challenges during the pilot phase, they are seeking the help of the DVLA to issue counterpart driving licenses where offenses can be recorded in order to determine the number of times they [offenders] flout the law. �We may face challenges during the pilot phase but the law says any offense committed should be recorded in the counterpart driver�s license to be issued to every driver from the DVLA so for some, we will wait on them [DVLA] to come and support us by giving counterpart drivers license to all drivers,� he added.