The Tema Regional Police Command has arrested 63 drivers for abusing the use of the Defective Vehicle (DV) and Drive from Port (DP) number plates.
Out of the number, 10 were released after they were issued with warning letters while the rest were convicted and processed for court and fined sums ranging from GH¢600 to GH¢750.
A total amount of GH¢31,800 was realised by the court after all the accused drivers had paid their fines.
Clampdown
According to the Tema Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mrs Beatrice Zakpaa Vib-Sanziri, the arrests were part of a nationwide exercise being undertaken by the police to clamp down on criminals who used unregistered vehicles to facilitate crime.
She expressed her dissatisfaction at the way DV and DP number plates were being misused.
She explained that the DV number plate was issued temporarily to vehicles under repairs while the DP number plate was meant for vehicles that had been cleared from the ports prior to becoming registered.
She noted that drivers attended social events such as parties, weddings and funerals driving cars with the number plates in contravention of Section 23(8) of the Road Traffic Regulations.
Law on DV/ DP plates
The regulation stipulates that, “A trade licence does not authorise the motor vehicle for which the licence has been issued to be used for carrying passengers, goods for hire or reward or passengers who are not engaged in testing the motor vehicle or inspecting the motor vehicle with the view to purchasing the motor vehicle.”
In addition, she said that Section 24(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation stated that a dealer or fleet owner should keep a separate trade licence logbook and enter into it complete particulars of the movement of the vehicle, before and after each occasion that the vehicle was used under the trade licence, and the dealer or owner should make the logbook available for inspection by a policeman in uniform at the request of the officer.
DCOP Vib-Sanziri said a trade licence was valid for a period of one year only in relation to the specified motor vehicle for which the trade licence was issued (Section 23(2)).
She further added that vehicle trade number plates could only be used between 6.00 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. and drivers who contravened the law were arrested and made to face the law.
Continuous exercise
The Tema Regional Commander said the exercise to arrest erring drivers was still going on. She said the police would also clamp down on criminals who used unregistered vehicles in their nefarious activities.
She advised vehicle owners who liked to use trade licence plates beyond periods allowed them to desist from the practice. She warned that in situations where cars using trade number plates were either stolen or snatched from their owners by criminals, it became very difficult for the police to track them down since the vehicles more or less did not have any “identification” such as a registration number.
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