Many concerned citizens have raised eyebrows about the growing incidence of impunity in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
Some people flout the law and each time they are arrested for breaking the law, some “big men”, allegedly including some politicians from the area, lobby the corridors of power to secure their release.
One clear area in which the clandestine hands of these “big men” are being felt, destructively, is in the maintenance of discipline on the roads.
Many residents blatantly disregard road traffic and safety regulations in the metropolis and drive carelessly without respect to other road users.
Motor riders fail to wear crush helmets, they ride unregistered motorbikes and some of them use fake number plates. Also, some riders pick more than one pillion rider, sometimes three, including children who are exposed to danger and, as if that is not enough, they pay little attention to traffic lights directions.
For the vehicle drivers, many use expired licences whiles others do not even have any licence. Neither do they insure their vehicles, nor do they go for roadworthiness certificates. Some of the drivers park haphazardly without regard to road signs and the dangers such haphazard parking pose.
With all these going on, one may ask about the action being taken by the police to curb the indiscipline, but the answer is simple: Their efforts are thwarted by some “big men” and some politicians.
It appears that it is a waste of time to arrest road traffic offenders in Tamale, because the police may be compelled not to take any action against them, when instructions ‘come from above’.
Indeed the manner in which these interference occur is quite worrying. Some politicians always ensure that their cronies, supporters and family members are freed from the grips of the law and this phenomenon has several repercussions for the development of Tamale.
First of all, helping law breakers escape punishment encourages them to repeat and intensify their lawless acts with impunity.
Punishment, as explained by psychologists, is meant to psyche an individual to shun a particular attitude that is considered unacceptable, as it may be dangerous to the individual and to society.
So when an individual engages in such unacceptable conduct and is aided to go scot-free, it does not deter the fellow from repeating such act.
What it means is that even though Tamale is growing very fast, many of its inhabitants are becoming more emboldened to commit crime. When this happens, lawlessness becomes the order of the day.
So, some of our “big men”, who claim to be responsible, are gradually turning Tamale into a lawless society, just because they want to satisfy their personal interests.
Again, it must be stated that when “the big men” interfere with the justice system, they inflict an indelible injury on the reputation and moral dignity of the law enforcement personnel. No wonder, a police officer in Tamale told me recently that she was likely to become redundant if she remained in Tamale. This is a serious statement that must not be treated lightly.
If police officers feel their work is being impeded and that their presence is of no use, then it threatens security in the area.
In fact, this same officer, who feared she would be redundant, warned of dire consequences for Tamale, and the region as a whole, if some “big men” from the area continue to help the people defy the law.
“Soon, no police officer would want to work in Tamale, except those who are willing to be controlled and leave their professionalism to the dogs,” she stated.
How sad would it be for all the fine policemen and women to leave the Northern Region? Would that not affect security in the region, I hope our “big men” are thinking.
In fact, the “big men” from Tamale and the north in general could do their people a great service if they rather focused on encouraging them to change their ways.
Why can’t the politicians, who are supposed to show leadership by example, tell their supporters, who, for instance, had their motorbikes seized for not wearing helmets, to go and secure helmets before they facilitated their release. Wouldn’t that be the starting point to helping safeguard the safety of the people?
I hope by the time our “big men” realise the harm they are causing, it will not be too late.
No comments:
Post a Comment