IGP thanks government for resourcing Police Service

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, has expressed appreciation to the government for meeting the wide-ranging logistical and other needs of the Ghana Police Service as they work to discharge their constitutional mandate.

The provision of logistics and the implementation of a number of policies and programmes have not only increased the operational efficiency of the Service, IGP Oppong-Boanuh emphasised, but also boosted the morale of police personnel.

Mr Oppong-Boanuh expressed the Service’s appreciation in a speech read on his behalf by Commissioner of Police (COP) Prosper K. Agblor, Director-General in charge of Legal and Prosecutions at the 2019 edition of the annual West African Security Services Association (WASSA) celebration of the Ghana Police Service held on Friday, 7 February 2020 in Accra.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Ghana Police Service, I want to express our deep appreciation to Government for the ongoing efforts to resource the Service. With these resources, we can more confidently discharge our duties to the good people of Ghana,” he stated.

Addressing the gathering earlier, Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also the Chairman of the Police Council, outlined a long list of measures put in place for the Service and interventions provided by the Akufo-Addo government since it assumed office three years ago, including the promotion of over 20,000 personnel across all the ranks, the procurement of over 700 multi-purpose vehicles, construction of 320 housing units at the National Police Training School in Accra, and a substantial increase in the compensation paid to the families of personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty.

"A number of capacity-building courses were funded by Government to equip officers, including detectives with requisite knowledge and skill to work effectively and to keep pace with the complexities of contemporary policing.

"The government also procured a large number of Weapons, Body Armour Vests, Body Cameras and Motor Bikes for the Service. We have also procured 3 Helicopters, created the Airborne Unit and internally recruited six Constables who are currently undergoing training in South Africa to become Pilots for the Service. Fifteen (15) personnel were also taken to South Africa to undergo training to establish the Canine (K9) unit," he added.

Dr Bawumia urged the Police Service and other security agencies to uphold the highest form of professionalism, especially in the fight against increasingly sophisticated criminal networks as the country heads into the December 2020 elections, emphasising: “The public will only provide you with credible information when they trust their officers, when they feel respected by officers of the Police Service, and when they feel that their civil liberties and human rights are fully guaranteed.

“The Police, therefore, can only be effective and efficient in the discharge of your mandate if you remain professional, accountable and responsive to the needs of the citizenry.

"It is our expectation as government and citizens that you would selflessly continue to undertake your constitutional mandate with professionalism for the good people of Ghana."

WASSA is a special day set aside to make merry amongst senior and junior officers of the security services, and to soberly reflect and take stock of the past, make corrections and forge ahead for an improved service delivery in the future.

The WASSA was attended by a number of officials including the Minister for the Interior and MP for Nandom, Ambrose Dery; Minister of Defence and MP for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul; the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. O. B. Akwa; retired senior officers and a cross-section of men and women of the Ghana Police Service.