Motorbike mechanics in Accra have complained that the recent clampdown on motor riders in the capital by the police has negatively affected their business. According to them, the exercise has taken a toll on their business, thus affecting their daily source of income.
One of the mechanics at Teshie, who only gave his name as Edward, said the operation had forced most riders to park their bikes.
No repair works
He said before the exercise, he repaired and did maintenance works on between five and 12 motorbikes daily, but ever since the exercise began a little over a week ago, he hardly got any to work on.
�I come to work and no one brings their bikes for repairs and the owners of those already at the shop do not show up out of fear that they might be impounded, so I go home empty handed.�
A client at the shop who chose to remain anonymous said though he had genuine documentation to his motorbike and a valid "class A" license, some police officers had taken undue advantage of the exercise to harass them unnecessarily.
Riders idling Other riders found idling at the shop out of boredom claimed that they used the motorbikes for their day-to-day businesses such as distributing scratch cards to their clients in and around the city but had been unable to do so in recent times.
They alleged that even with genuine documentation, the police still impounded their bikes and they were made to go through hours, and sometime days, of frustrations before the bikes were released to them.
They said though the exercise was laudable, they were appealing to the Inspector General of Police to take another look at it, �especially in these economic hard times�.
�Probably those with genuine documents who provide them upon request should be allowed to operate,� they suggested.
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