The Ghana Police Service is mandated to maintain law and order. Its mandate is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution and further guided by laws such as the Police Service Act, 1970 (Act 350) and the Police Service Regulations, 2012 (C.I. 76).
Its core functions are to prevent and detect crime, apprehend offenders, and maintain public order and the safety of persons and property. Indeed, the police remain among Ghana’s unsung heroes, working tirelessly to keep miscreants at bay and make the country safe for all.
However, these functions appear to have been compromised at the Lapaz intersection, where the National Highway One (N1), popularly known as the George Walker Bush Highway, one of the busiest highways in Accra, passes through. Lapaz is a nodal point where commuters from Abeka and Tabora converge, making it one of the busiest intersections in the Greater Accra Region.
The Chronicle has observed disturbing developments at this intersection. The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the police are visibly present, yet traffic regulation remains largely lax, particularly where motorbike riders are concerned.
These ragtag riders routinely disregard traffic lights, endangering pedestrians, while police officers sit under their tent, surrounded by a pavement market, seemingly unconcerned. We have also observed a taxi rank operating at the entrance of Ecobank, roughly 25 metres from the Lapaz Police Post and about 15 metres from the MTTD tent along the stretch connecting to Abeka.
This editorial is not suggesting that the police administration is failing across the board. However, we find the posture of officers at Lapaz problematic and worthy of scrutiny.
We cannot understand why motorbikes are allowed to violate traffic lights while pedestrians are crossing such a busy stretch, as police officers look on unconcerned. What is really happening? Are officers stationed there working at odds with the core mandate of the Ghana Police Service?
We also find it troubling that a taxi rank has been allowed to operate on the fringes of the road, in the full view of the MTTD, every single day.
The Chronicle believes that a visible police presence should translate into law and order, with traffic violators taken to court and appropriately sanctioned.
Larger trucks have been seen offloading goods in broad daylight along the Lapaz–Abeka Market stretch, seemingly unchecked. We use this medium to call on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to bring the officers at Lapaz to order, before their presence is reduced to mere window-dressing in the eyes of the public.
We maintain the IGP needs to take a firm action at the Lapaz Police Post, whose officers risk becoming ornamental rather than a deterrent to lawbreakers. We also urge the IGP to equip officers with the tools needed to trace and sanction drivers and passengers who flout road traffic regulations.
The IGP must crack the whip at Lapaz before disaster strikes. A stitch in time saves nine.
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