Military detachment must assist Police in fighting crime – Boakye Djan

The Official Spokesperson of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), an NDC member, Major (Rtd) Boakye Djan says it’s critical for Police Stations to get a detachment of military personnel to boost their strength in combating crime.

According to him, while government works on the long-term efforts to retool the Police Service and make reforms in modern day Policing, it is imperative to draw men from the country’s army to assist the Police Service.

“The time has come for us to get armed detachment from the military for each of these police stations as a temporary measure,” he told Kasapa 102.5 FM.

According to him, most Police stations dotted across the country, are unfit for modern days raising fears of even greater surge in crime.

Policing is a problem now, he noted, adding the Police risks losing control of the streets because most of their installations and accoutrement are made for colonial days.

“Take a trip to police stations in the districts, particularly charge office and cell rooms are all in a bad shape, ” he observed.

His comments comes on the back of an attack on the Kwabenya police post by a gang of six armed robbers who freed seven suspects from the station and killed one officer on Sunday dawn.

Meanwhile, the Police administration has urged for calm, promising that they would do their best to bring the perpetrators to book.

They have since released the identities of the seven who escaped from police custody, pleading with the general public to assist them locate their whereabouts.

A week ago, two police officers were shot to death by suspected armed robbers in the Ashanti region at dawn.

The incident happened between Drobonso and Kumawu road in the Sekyere Afram plains district when the officers were returning from night patrols. A third officer was lucky to have escaped danger.

Speaking on the fall out from the attack in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Major Boakye Djan said subsequent governments have neglected the Police Service.

He said the Police continue to be overwhelmed with crime as it suffers from numerous problems like shortage in weaponry, deficiency in police vehicles and lack of of funds earmarked for modernisation of infrastructure within the Service.

He added:”we should do a forward planning in our development. We should anticipate that as population increases, criminal elements will also increase, in view of this there should be conscious efforts to improve on infrastructure for the security apparatus.”