Maputo, 24 Feb (AIM) – The General Commander of the Mozambican police force (PRM), Joaquim Sive, has instructed all the provincial commanders to reactivate official road checkpoints, in order to prevent “non-compliance with traffic rules.”
The checkpoints were dismantled five months ago on the order of the former General Commander, Bernardino Rafael. He criticised the proliferation of checkpoints on the country’s roads. Although the checkpoints are supposed to reduce the number of traffic accidents, they had become notorious for corruption, and for extorting money from motorists.
However, Sive believes that the reactivation of road checkpoints is necessary because recently there has been “widespread non-compliance with traffic rules on the country’s main roads, a fact that contributes to the occurrence of road accidents with a major social and economic impact.”
He also announced that the number of checkpoints has been increased from 23 to 52 across the country.
Sive also said that paramilitary forces will be present at the checkpoints, as opposed to the previous instruction which limited the establishment of checkpoints to police officers and inspectors from the National Road Transport Institute (INATRO).
All the provinces will now have at least three official sites for checking vehicles and their drivers.
(AIM)
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