Government to rehabilitate police stations

The Government will commence rehabilitation of all police stations across the country, this year, to standardise their infrastructure, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced on Friday.

In addition, government has completed negotiations for the rollout of Phase II of the Alpha Project, which would involve the deployment of 8,700 CCTV cameras in all 216 districts, with three command centres in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale.

President Akufo-Addo said this in a speech read for him by Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia at the 47th Cadet Course of the Ghana Police Academy in Accra on Friday, which saw 132 officers commissioned into senior officers' corps of the Ghana Police Service.

He said the move was aimed at building a robust, effective, efficient and disciplined police force by focusing more on proactive and preventive policing, rather than reactive.

“Government will do so by increasing both visibility and capacity. An initial amount of GH¢800 million, in the short term, will support the important task of reducing crime and increasing public safety,” he said.

The President said as part of the efforts 4,000 more police personnel would be recruited to augment the personnel.

“We know that what matters most is not the number of police officers we recruit, but the number of officers we deploy, and how effectively they are deployed. We are improving the data analytics of the service to make policing more efficient and alive to modern trends in crime,” he said.

In line with government’s plan to equip the Police Service, President Akufo-Addo said 1,000 new vehicles would be procured for the service this year adding that 200 pick-up vehicles had already been allocated under Operation Calm Life, with 200 saloon vehicles to be delivered in six weeks.

President Akufo-Addo said government was on course to setting up Special Police Units and that resources had been allocated to procure police kits including protective gear, guns and ammunition.

He urged the Police Administration to put in place measures to redeem their diminishing public image of a corrupt institution to restore confidence.

“Report after report of the Afrobarometer cites the Service, fairly or unfairly, as the most perceived corrupt public institution in Ghana. This is not right and it can no longer be the status quo.

“The important things for a nation are the peace and safety of its people, and its territorial integrity. It is when these are guaranteed that citizens can go about their lives in security and hope to improve the quality of their circumstances,” he added.

Seven Officers were given awards for their exceptional performance and they are; Justus Ayertey, Best Cadet Officer, Mary Esi Koomson, Commandant Special Award for Organization and Leadership, Mary Mirekua Tandoh, Best Drill Command and Control, Stephen Abaka, Best in Marksmanship, Robert Kofi Kpodo, Best in Social Science, Patrick Kodjoe, Best in Police Subject, and Joseph K. Yennuba, Best in Law Subjects.

As part of the six months training, officers were taken through courses including Problem-oriented policing, Human Rights, Domestic Violence, Police/public/media relations, and Cyber Fraud to help them to be abreast of emerging challenges in their profession.

Present at the event were Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defense, Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, Major. General Obed Boamah Akwa, the Chief of Defence Staff, and top officials of the Ghana Police Service.