The Inspector General of Police (IGP) James Oppong Boanuh has ordered the police to suspend all stopping and checking of vehicles in a bid to stop the potential spread of Covid-19. This is according to a police internal memo sighted by MyNewsGh.com.
It follows news that more than 289 New York Police Department (NYPD) personnel have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 and spread it to more than 2000 more civilians.
The IGP’s order is believed to have been necessitated by an incident in which a driver who was stopped by the police on the roadside, insisted the police officer sanitized her hands before he would hand over his license for inspection.
The incident which was caught on camera showed the police officer with a straight face as she repeatedly ordered the driver to present his license. “Please can I inspect your license?” she asked.
The driver, who is heard saying he is a staff of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) gently told the officer that he has the driving license but will only heed to the order on condition she sanitized her hands. “Kindly sanitize your hands before I give my license to you,” he said.
On the back of these developments, the IGP has therefore ordered his men to pause the checking of car documents. According to the IGP, the suspension according to the police document from the Ghana Police Service will remain in force until further notice.
The IGP advised personnel of the Ghana Police Service in charge of motor traffic to observe personal hygiene measures to protect themselves by keeping disinfectants and sanitizing regularly.
Ghana has recorded 93 cases of COVID-19 with four deaths with one recovery.