Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has directed all Members of Parliament (MPs) to comply fully with the government’s directive banning the unauthorised installation and use of sirens and police escort services on public and private vehicles.
The directive follows a communication from the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, informing Parliament of a Cabinet decision to intensify enforcement against the indiscriminate use of sirens and police escorts by unauthorised persons.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, July 21, Speaker Bagbin urged MPs to strictly observe the directive, stressing that lawmakers must not engage in practices that undermine road safety or violate the law.
He said the abuse of police escorts and emergency sirens had become a matter of national concern and called on legislators to lead by example by respecting the regulations governing their use.
The Speaker noted that the widespread use of sirens by unauthorised individuals erodes public confidence in legitimate state authority and diminishes the effectiveness of emergency and security agencies that rely on priority access to roads.
Under the new directive, no individual is permitted to install or use a siren on any public or private vehicle without the necessary authorisation.
Cabinet has also directed the Ghana Police Service to remove all unauthorised sirens installed on vehicles and discontinue police escort services that have not received official approval.
The measures form part of the government’s efforts to restore discipline on the country’s roads, improve compliance with road traffic regulations and ensure that emergency warning devices are used only by authorised security and emergency response agencies.
The directive comes on the back of an ongoing nationwide enforcement exercise by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, which has been removing illegal sirens, beacon lights and strobe lights from vehicles in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
Speaker Bagbin urged MPs to support the initiative, saying their compliance would strengthen public confidence in state institutions and contribute to safer roads across the country.
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