By Nelson Manneh
The Inspector General of Police has recently urged the public, that effective 15th of January 2021; all vehicles with tints must renew their clearance permits.
The spokesperson of the Gambia Police Force Superintendent Lamin Njie who confirmed this information to this medium, said the Office of the Inspector General of Police wishes to inform the public that it has reviewed the issuance of tinted glass clearance for vehicles and is urging all vehicles with tinted glasses to renew their permits.
“The review process came following a thorough and strict consideration of national security interests. To cite but few instances, the IGP’s office has registered cases in which tinted vehicles were used to traffic drugs and other contrabands across the country, in other instances individuals used it as cover to evade security inspections and noncompliance with relevant vehicle tax settlements. In addition to a host of issues, they sometimes pose as a challenge in the investigation of hit and run accident cases,” he said.
PRO Njie said in view of the above and other security related concerns, the IGP’s office hereby notifies the public that effective 15th of January 2021 all vehicles with tints must renew their clearance permits.
Superintendent Njie said clearance permits will be issued in the following categories: Factory-Tinted vehicles will be allowed following a payment of D10, 000 to Gambia Revenue Authority. Non Factory-Tinted vehicles will be allowed following a payment of D15, 000 to Gambia Revenue Authority.
C. Senior Government Officials, Diplomats, and others will be allowed on gratis.
However, he said commercial vehicles are not allowed to have tinted glasses at all.
Furthermore, Njie said in order to enhance proper scrutiny, vehicles under categories A and B will be required to send their vehicles to designated Police Testing Officers for determination of the thickness and specifications of tints to be allowed.
He said thick and dark tints will not be allowed especially when they pose difficulty for security inspections.
“The public is further reminded that, driving tinted vehicles without clearance permit is a serious offence under section 25(c) of the Motor Traffic Act. It attracts severe penalties of a fine not less than D10, 000 and not more than D20, 000 in default to serve imprisonment for two years with hard labour,” he noted.
