I’ve confidence in Police Service - Akufo-Addo

Ghana’s President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed confidence in the professional ability of the Ghana Police Service and his preparedness to work with them to ensure the peace and security of the country.

“We have an opportunity after January 7, 2017, to work together for the interest of the Ghanaian people. I am confident from what I know about the Ghana Police Service that we are going to have good relations,” he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this when the hierarchy of the Ghana Police Service, led by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr John Kudalor, paid a courtesy call on him at his private Nima residence in Accra to congratulate him and discuss his security arrangement.

He said while in opposition, he (Nana Akufo-Addo) said a number of things about the way the state was being run, which might not have gone down well with some of them.

Criticisms

He explained that what he said was not out of malice but out of “my understanding of what the national interest required.”

The important thing now, he said, was to put everything in perspective, since the present situation required them to work together to deliver for the people of Ghana.

As a former foreign minister, he said, one thing that gave him pride and prestige was the touted level of professionalism of Ghanaian security agencies wherever they were on peacekeeping around the world.

“That reputation has kept me going and that is the reputation that all of us enjoy for our country. We have to work together to enhance it. The peace and serenity of the people is fundamental to our security set-up. I am confident that you senior officers share the same values so feel comfortable,” he urged.

Nana Akufo-Addo said as part of the priorities of his government, he would ensure that the Police Service was well equipped, well motivated and well resourced, saying “that is going to be the priority of our government towards achieving a good Police Service.’’

The IGP

Mr John Kudalor said the visit was to assure him that the police would not flinch from their responsibility to the government of the day and the people of this country come January 7.

“We shall continue to be professional, very transparent, very patriotic and very loyal to the state and for that matter, the government of the day,” Mr Kudalor stressed.