Personal security must begin with children – Former Police Commissioner

A retired Commissioner of the Ghana Police Service, Mrs. Joana Osei-Poku, has advised Ghanaians to be conscious of security issues and also support the security agencies to combat crime in the country.

She also advised parents and the society to start teaching children about security matters .

According to her, when children are taught about personal safety, they will grow up to be more security conscious as adults .She said this will help curb crime in diverse ways and also ease security threats.

Speaking on Atinka FM’s ‘Obrempong Ahyease’ hosted by Akosua Agyeiwaa, who was sitting in for regular host, Maame Korea, Mrs. Osei-Poku bemoaned how some Ghanaians shield perpetrators of crime. She said some community members refuse to give vital information about suspects who are under police investigations.

Touching on the consciousness of personal security amidst terror threats, the former President of the Police Ladies Association, (POLAS) urged the people in the country to inculcate in the citizenry how to protect themselves as well as report suspicious characters to the police immediately.

She said in some developed countries , security consciousness is on the high, adding that some old people serve as security personal in societies. "They even depict their security consciousness in movies, they said.

COP Joana urged the citizenry to report unusual behavior of people and strangers to the police saying, “we need to take our personal security very seriously to prevent all forms of attacks. “Because many are ignorant on security and have little trust for the security, sometimes they prefer to report to the media instead of the police, which is not right,” she said.

She commended the Ghana Police Service and the security agencies for working hard but advised them to do more for the country as there is more room for improvement.