Government will support security agencies to perform – Interior Minister

Mr. Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister, has pledged the government’s unconquerable resolve to give strong support to the security agencies to efficiently perform, to keep everybody safe.

He said they were determined to do everything to assist them with the logistics and equipment required to better discharge their duties to ensure maximum security protection for all Ghanaians.

He was addressing a meeting with police officers in the Ashanti Region, in Kumasi, at the start of his official working visit to the area.

The Minister defended the decision to arm all police officers on duty including those of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MDTTD) and said that was the appropriate thing to do.

That was going to help the officers to effectively exercise their right to self-defense and to fight violent crimes.

“If people who are not trained to handle weapons buy guns to protect themselves if that is not a threat to peace, how can a trained, competent officer of the police service be a threat to the society”.

Apart from carrying weapons, the officers would be given protective gear – bulletproof vests, helmets and body cameras.

He called for the people to have confidence in the police and to assist flag up miscreants – those who had chosen to live outside the law, to the law enforcement officers.

Mr. Dery’s tour is to aid him to have firsthand information about the operational challenges of the agencies under his Ministry.

These include the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).

He is expected to also meet with the Peace Council.

He announced that a total of 567 vehicles had so far been supplied to the police as part of efforts to strengthen internal security, adding that, there were more to come.

He said three helicopters had also been secured for the police service and that currently eight officers were being trained in South Africa as pilots and engineers to man the helicopters.

He touched on promotions and said the backlog of promotions in the Police, Fire, Prisons and Immigration Services were being addressed.

The Minister urged the various security services to work hand-in-hand to achieve the desired peace the nation required.

He spoke about kidnapping cases in the country and said, things had improved.

In 2013, there were 77 reported cases, 76 in 2014, 58 in 2018, and so far this year, 47 cases had been reported.

Out of this year’s recorded cases, 21 had been found to be false, 17 of the victims rescued, and 10 suspects arrested.

He applauded the combined effort of the military, national security, police and Ministry of Food and Agriculture, that had brought calm to Agogo after years of tension and clashes between the people there and nomadic Fulani herdsmen.

Commissioner of Police (COP) Kwasi Duku, the Regional Commander, vowed to continue to work hard to maintain peace and security in the region.

The Command has introduced detective patrols, motorbike patrols, armed mobile patrols to clamp down on street robbery and car snatching.

Highway robberies, he said had been contained with the strong police presence and highway patrols.