John Dramani Mahama: Government will pump more resource into Ghana Police Service
The Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, has promised that government would pump more resources into the Ghana Police Service to make it more efficient in its core duties.
Mr Mahama was speaking at a colourful event at the Police College at Tesano, Accra, during the passing out ceremony of the 43rd Cadet Officers Course.
The Police Service, he noted, would soon witness massive infusion of vehicles to support patrol and other duties.
He said government had also ordered bullet proof gadgets for personnel during risky operations which might put their lives in danger.
Government, in its bid to support the service, has acquired an automated fingerprint machine together with a DNA testing machine to be installed at the CID forensic laboratory to aid in the easy identification of criminals.
“Enforcement mechanisms are also being strengthened at the seaports as part of government determination and resolve not to allow this country to be turned into a haven for drug cartels,” he added.
This, he said, led to the enactment of the Economic and Organized Crime Act, (Act 804 of 2010) which made for easy confiscation of the ill-gotten wealth of drug barons to the state.
Ghana’s police, he noted, were excelling internationally as, for the first time, an all-female contingent deployed to Sudan last year had really impressed the United Nations, making the country the largest police contributor to UN Missions in Sudan.
The UN has therefore requested another contingent of all-female police to be deployed to Sudan this year due to their expertise.
“I am informed that their skills in the area of community policing and victims support services among the initially displaced persons who live in camps have received high commendations, for which the United Nations has requested for another all-female contingent.”
In view of this, Mr Mahama charged the Police Administration to ensure gender equity in the on-going police enlistment exercise.
He used the opportunity to show gratitude to some of Ghana’s donors such as Germany, Norway and Canada.
For the past two years, he observed, the support of the three countries had made Ghana’s contribution of police to UN peacekeeping mission move to a high pedestal.
Currently, the Police Service has a personnel strength of 23,124 as against the national population of 24 million people: The ratio therefore stands at 1: 1037 though the UN recommends 1:400 as the standard for effective and efficient policing.
The strength of the Police Service is therefore disproportionate to the country’s population and does not auger well for efficient protection of the civil society.
Hopefully, by the end of 2014, a number of 16,000 people would have been recruited into the service. This would bring the number to 40,000 personnel.
Not only would the recruitment exercise strengthen the personnel of the Police Service, it would also provide employment for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
John Mahama also observed that most of the carnage on the roads was avoidable if only police personnel at the various checkpoints were vigilant and took appropriate measures in dealing with defaulting drivers and defective vehicles.
Government, he stated, was prepared to provide the necessary resources to the regulatory and enforcement bodies to facilitate their work in order to reduce the carnage to the barest minimum.
He urged the police and other security agencies to endeavour to train their personnel in Information Communication Technology (ICT), adding that would broaden their scope in cyber crime investigation and detection.
He was elated that the security agencies had been placed on the e-governance programme which would soon take off.
The cadet officers, he noted, had been trained in ICT and would be used as pioneer beneficiaries of the e-governance programme in the Police Service.
He however urged them to keep updating their ICT knowledge in order to keep up with emerging cyber crimes.
The Vice President was particularly happy about the training and re-training of police personnel and commended the IGP, Paul Tawiah Quaye, and his administration for their efforts.
In all, 121 cadet officers passed out on Friday June 3, 2011, with cadet officer Henry Ayisi Mensah emerging as the overall best cadet officer. He also received the best in police subjects’ award.
Others who were awarded were Naomi Abriebe Acquah, best in social sciences, Adu A. Agyeman, best in command and drill, Martin K. Nugbemado, best in law subjects, Odame Okyere, best in marksmanship, while Peter Toobu received the commandant’s special award in discipline and conduct.
The La Manste, Nii Kpobi Tetteh Tsuru, National Chief Imam Sheik Nuhu Shaributu and a host of other dignitaries and were there to grace the occasion.
Source Daily Guide
Category: News
