Police heads must have security of tenure - Kwesi Pratt

Seasoned journalist Kwesi Pratt has waded into discussions regarding the unfortunate incident that occurred at Kwabenya District Police Headquarters.

Seven armed robbers of Ghanaians and a Nigerian stormed the District Police Headquarters, killing a Police Officer and freeing their colleagues in the cell.

The incident has since pumped fear in some Ghanaians as they worry about their safety and that of the Police themselves.

Addressing this issue on Kokrokoo on Peace FM, Kwesi Pratt offered some solutions to combat criminal attacks on the Police and the nation.

According to him, there should be a "security of tenure" for the Police hierarchy.

He explained that just as the Chief Justice, CHRAJ Boss and others are given a security of tenure devoid of any political interference regarding their positions; he requested that the Police Heads should also have the opportunity to serve the Service without any political intrusion.

To him, it is not right for positions such as the Inspector General of Police and others within the Police Service to be by political appointment.

He contended the removal of an experienced Police Officer on the basis of politics or due to a change of government.

Mr. Pratt also called on government to equip the Police with adequate resources to empower them to counter criminal attacks.

He wondered "how safe Police personnel are if they don't wear bulletproof vests on patrol" together with other necessary gadgets to protect themselves against the criminals.

He also raised concerns about the nature of the Police cells, asking "how come we arrested robbers and put them in Kwabenya Police station cell?”

He noted that some cells are not constructed to accommodate hardened criminals and it behoves the Police administration to check it.

Mr. Pratt further added there should be distribution of safety manuals to Ghanaians to educate them on how to safeguard themselves to avoid criminals.

“The preparation of simple manuals, very simple manuals about crime prevention and so on is very crucial. When something happens, we should do this or that. Some of it is for the citizens. Some of it is classified information for the security services and so on but we need to have these manuals. Manuals about what to do in specific cases and so on is very significant because if we don’t do that, you cannot bring all citizens on board and so on”.

In conclusion, he also called for a revival of the Community Policing to help combat crimes in the country.