By Tracy Amankwah Peprah
Accra, March 5, GNA – The Police have arrested over 250 motorbike riders within three days for jumping red traffic light in Accra.
The Police, in a news brief, said the arrest formed part of the Police Action Against Rider Indiscipline (PAARI) programme.
It said the riders arrested would be taken through road safety education and the dangers their conduct posed to themselves and other road users, after which they would be taken through the due process of the law.
The brief said the Police cautioned disobedient riders against the open disregard for traffic regulations.
It said it had intensified Operation PAARI and deployed special teams at traffic intersections starting from Accra.
The brief said officers on motorbikes would patiently follow riders who jumped the red light to their destination, confront them with the offence and arrest them.
It said that was to create a sense of certainty of arrest and thereby encouraged some level of self-discipline among riders.
The Police, in April 2022, introduced “OPERATION PAARI,” a road safety intervention to check indiscipline among motorcycle users on the roads, which it said was “a major cause of road traffic accidents in the country.”
It said as part of the PAARI programme, motorcycle users who were arrested in violation of road traffic regulations and other traffic offences were sensitised and taken through road traffic education and subsequently cautioned to be law-abiding.
The Police said through the PAARI Programme, it had observed that riders obeyed traffic regulations, especially in the areas of not jumping the red light, avoiding riding on pedestrian walkways and facing oncoming traffic.
It said data on road traffic accidents indicated that road traffic crashes involving motorbikes had reduced significantly.
“We will continue to count on the support of the public to make this programme a success to ensure sanity and safety prevail on our roads,” the Police said.
The Police commended law-abiding riders who adhered to road traffic regulations.
GNA