“The camera will detect you” — Police warn motorists ahead of TraffiTech rollout

Ghana’s Police Service will begin full implementation of its automated traffic enforcement system, TraffiTech GH, from 1 October 2026, with cameras and other digital devices being used to detect road traffic offences.

ACP Alexander Kweku Obeng, Director of Education, Research and Training at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), said the system would allow police to gather electronic evidence of traffic violations and issue notices to motorists without the immediate need for physical police intervention.

“Many of the drivers will not see police officers, but the camera will detect you,” he said on the Asaase Breakfast Show.

According to ACP Obeng, the system is being introduced under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026, and will initially focus on speeding before being expanded to cover other offences.

He said the police had developed software applications and procured traffic enforcement technology, including cameras and handheld devices, supported by a back-office system that processes and validates evidence before an electronic notice of violation is issued.

“The system is very smart, but it’s capable of sweeping across the country,” ACP Obeng said.

He explained that some cameras would be mounted on police vehicles which would move along roads identified through data as having high levels of preventable crashes and dangerous driving.

Other cameras and handheld devices would be deployed in areas where traffic violations are identified as a particular problem.

He said enforcement would cover major roads and urban areas, including Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi, Tamale and Koforidua, with the police using data on crash-prone locations and dangerous driving behaviour to determine where enforcement resources are deployed.

ACP Obeng said the police had already begun using technology to issue cautionary notices and had issued more than 5,000 such notices within 72 hours to drivers using emergency lanes.

He said the automated system was intended not only to detect violations but also to deter motorists from dangerous driving.

“For us, it is about road safety on our roads and ensure that they also commit our offences so that they refrain from committing again,” he said.

The MTTD is also undertaking public education ahead of the October 1 rollout, including sensitisation on speed limits and the operation of the automated enforcement system.

ACP Obeng said motorists should observe existing speed limits regardless of whether they see an automated enforcement sign.

He cited limits of 30 kilometres per hour in crowded areas, 50 kilometres per hour on urban roads, 90 kilometres per hour on highways and 100 kilometres per hour on motorways.

He said the police would also deploy signs and continue public education as the system is rolled out.

ACP Obeng said the police expected the technology to reduce the need for officers to remain on roadsides solely to detect and process traffic violations, allowing officers and the courts to focus on cases requiring physical intervention.

He added that the system would generate data that could be used to identify crash-prone areas and determine where additional enforcement was needed.

“We need to satisfy the demand. Our first solution… should be gathered by data,” he said.

He said the police would gradually add other traffic offences to the system after beginning with speeding.

The MTTD director also stressed that automated enforcement would be only one part of improving road safety, alongside safer road infrastructure, stronger institutions and continued public education.