By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug. 24, GNA – A total of 1,814 cases of unauthorised use of sirens by motorists were recorded during a nationwide enforcement exercise, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Interior Minister, has said.
He said the exercise initially focused on removing unauthorised siren devices from vehicles, with repeat offenders to face prosecution.
The Minister disclosed this at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, where he presented the Ministry’s performance from January 2025 to July 2026.
He said the Police Service was collaborating with the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Trade to restrict the importation of unauthorised sirens into the country.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak said the Government was also introducing technology to reduce direct interaction between motorists and police officers during traffic enforcement.
Under the TraffiTech system, traffic offences would be captured through fixed and mobile cameras, in-vehicle cameras and handheld radar systems.
He said the evidence would be reviewed by a back-office control room, after which validated offenders would receive electronic notices detailing the offence, applicable penalties and payment procedures.
The system would cover major traffic offences, including running red lights and other violations, and was expected to reduce opportunities for motorists to make unauthorised payments to police officers to avoid enforcement.
Mohammed-Mubarak said the system was expected to be rolled out further in September.
He said motorists would not necessarily be stopped by police officers for offences that could be detected electronically.
The system would also help detect offences such as failure to wear seat belts and other vehicle-related violations, he said.
Mohammed-Mubarak said the Government was pursuing digitalisation across the Ministry of the Interior to reduce human interference and close loopholes in revenue collection and service delivery.
He said the Ministry had recorded a significant improvement in revenue mobilisation following the digitalisation of some services.
The Minister also disclosed that the Ministry was rolling out a National Crime Automated Biometric Identification System to make criminal background checks more accessible.
When completed, the system is expected to provide 751 centres across the country, enabling people to obtain background checks at the district level.
He said subsequent checks could be conducted online after initial registration, subject to verification that there had been no new criminal record.
Alhaji Muntaka said the Government was also introducing an automated fire compliance and safety system to enable applications for fire certificates, inspection scheduling and the issuance of digital certificates to be completed online.
The system would also support 24-hour surveillance, he said.
Mohammed-Mubarak said the digital initiatives were intended to improve efficiency, reduce corruption and strengthen accountability within the security services.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo
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