Seizure of license, you can sue a low-ranking police officer-Lawyer Alice Nimako Debrah Ablormeti shared thought

A lawyer at Robert Smith Law Group, Alice Nimako Debrah Ablormeti has shared insights on the rank of police officers who are authorised to seize drivers’ licences.

She said policemen who are above the rank of an inspector have the audacity to seize a drivers’ licence accompanied by a receipt. The lawyer made this revelation while discussing the rights of drivers in traffic offences.

“It is not every policeman that can seize your licence. Every policeman can inspect your licence and give you 24 hours to produce it if you don’t have it. But when it comes to seizing the licence, it has to be a policeman who is not below the rank of an inspector,” she explained.

In cases where a low-ranking policeman seizes one’s licence, the individual is permitted to sue in court for the reversal of the licence and not fight the policeman.

She has called on policymakers to look at a comprehensive way to ensure the safety of road users to help minimise offences and reduce fatalities on the road.

The legal practitioner has entreated drivers to try as much as possible to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations pertaining to road usage and driving to be able to defend their rights.

Meanwhile, Regulation 47 (1–5) of Road Traffic Regulation 2012 (L I 2180) requires all drivers to carry their original driver’s licence whilst driving any vehicle.

“A police officer in uniform shall request a person to produce the driver’s licence that authorises a driver to drive a vehicle for inspection. Where a person driving a vehicle is to produce a driver’s licence, that person shall produce it immediately or within 24 hours at the behest of the police",therefore, drivers have the right to report the misconduct of an officer in uniform to the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPBS) of the Ghana Police Service. The report should include the officer’s number and rank on his or her uniform.