The Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has impounded more than 700 vehicles and removed illegally installed sirens, beacons, and strobe lights, and other unauthorised lamps during an operation in the Western Region.

The operation formed part of a nationwide clamp down on use of unapproved emergency equipment by motorists and vehicle owners aimed at ensuring safety on the roads.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Alexander Kwaku Obeng, the Director of Education, Research, and Training at the Ghana Police Service, who led the exercise in Takoradi, said the move formed part of nationwide enforcement of Regulations 74 and 65 of the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2180, Road Traffic Regulations 2012, which regulated horns, sirens, and light on vehicles.

He said the police had observed that motorists and vehicle owners had over the years violated the Regulation 74, which authorised only certain individuals and institutions like a head of state, security agencies, Bank of Ghana, hospitals and others to use sirens and lamps in the performance of their official duties.

“We have observed that vehicle owners have retrofitted additional headlamps and other aesthetic lights that are blinding other road users and contributing to road crashes,” ACP Obeng added.

He noted that since the start of the exercise about a month ago, the police had impounded about 4,626 vehicles for violating the law on use of strobe lights, beacon lamps, and sirens across the country.

He said: “Per our experience, we have seen that some chiefs, businessmen, politicians, and theological individuals are also part of this whole infractions, but we are not sparing anyone.”

He said the exercise was intended to reduce noise pollution and other nuisances, and improve upon visibility for motorists especially at night.

ACP Obeng said the police would sustain the enforcement exercise on the roads, and warned motorists and vehicle owners against retrofitting unlawful lamps and sirens on their vehicles.

He stated that so far offenders have been given verbal warnings and their devices confiscated, however, repeated offenders would face prosecution.