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Three hundred and thirty-two drivers accused of misusing defective vehicle (DV) and drive-from-port (DP) number plates have been fined a total of GH�139 The accused persons, whose vehicles were impounded in two separate operations conducted by the Accra Regional Command, have since appeared before the motor and magistrate�s courts. In the two swoops organised simultaneously by the seven divisions under the Accra Regional Police Command on December 28, 2014 and January 3, this year, 818 cars were impounded and their drivers also arrested. Prosecution Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mrs Affia Tenge, said the operation was to prevent people from using cars with DV number plates to commit crime. According to her, the command had recorded a significant number of crime cases such as robberies and car snatching in recent times in which cars with DV and DP number plates were used. She said though a few of the cases were still pending before the courts, some of the drivers were acquitted and discharged by the courts after proving to the courts that they had not broken the law. �Before putting them before the court, the arrested persons were screened and some of them who provided documents covering their vehicles, log books and licences were released.� However, she said, there were still a number of the vehicles parked at the various police stations that had not been claimed by their owners. Breakdown In the unannounced operation carried out in December 2014, 342 vehicles with DV and DP number plates were impounded, while on January 3, 2015, the police impounded 476 vehicles. The drivers of all the vehicles were also arrested. The Nima Divisional Police impounded 142 vehicles and arrested their drivers, out of which 47 persons were arraigned and fined a total of GH�15,450. The Dansoman Police arrested the drivers of 56 vehicles. Out of the 36 drivers put before the courts, those found to have flouted the law were fined GH�120. Out of 57 arrests, the Ministries Divisional Police arraigned 25 persons who were fined GH�10,620. On the part of the Tesano Police, 72 out of the 106 persons arrested were put before the courts and fined GH�29,810. The Kaneshie Police which impounded 81 vehicles generated GH�15,000 as fines from 32 accused persons. Out of 132 arrests, the Madina Police prosecuted 48 people who were fined GH�29,610, while the Central Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) prosecuted 33 out of 51 arrested persons, and bagged GH�19,080 for the state. The Kpeshie Division prosecuted 39 out of the 98 persons arrested and bagged GH�19,000. Law on DV In accordance with the Road Traffic Act (2004), a trade licence can be used when a motor vehicle has been offloaded from a ship and is being driven to the garage. The unlicenced number plate can also be used when a vehicle is being tested or tried by a prospective buyer. The use of DV and DP plates outside the business period of 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. is prohibited by law. Mrs Tenge explained that DV and DP licence plates were given to be used temporarily for vehicles that were under repairs, but some drivers abused the regulation.