Vice President Aliu Mahama on Friday launched the Ghana Police Service Website, (www.ghanapolice.org) to serve as an effective platform for sharing information with the public towards the prevention and combating of crime.
The new technology for crime fighting and public education embraces every aspect of policing from simply getting tips from informants, to publishing pictures of the most dangerous criminals in Ghana.
It also have information on the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU), Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), Police Hospital and Church, recruitment, information on criminals and missing of people and items.
Vice President Mahama said the website positions the country as a nation proactively involved in the war on crime and international terrorism. He described the Ghana Police website as a dynamic technological achievement that represents a new advancement in modern policing in the country.
He therefore called on the Police Administration to make the e-security initiative work by constantly upgrading and updating it in order to manage and monitor the systems efficiency for the benefit of the general public. He noted that with an increasing reliance of government, businesses, citizens and consumers on networked technologies, crimes have now become more sophisticated and the methods used by criminals have also become more intelligent.
"We often read about online organized crime like money laundering, fraud, 419 and the like," modern policing he said requires the use of appropriate technology for preventing and combating crime.
He said in view of the modern crime wave, police world are designing and developing advanced crime detection and deterrence systems to meet the challenges.
Vice President Mahama said the Ghana Police, therefore, requires automation, computerization and Internet support in order to maintain a viable and responsive institution in the war against crime.
"Ghana must also follow international trends and in developing and deploying police services with a human rights framework," stressing "Ghanaians deserve the best police service enjoyed by any citizens of a modern society elsewhere." He also acknowledged that police activity globally has shifted its center of balance away from the reactive and paramilitary style to a realization that policing is a community and social service.
This form of policing, he said stresses on consultation, accountability, citizen involvement and cooperation, rule of law, proactive policing and decentralization.
He said this new programme of action requires a thorough assessment of what pertains on the ground in terms of capacity of the institutions to respond to contemporary challenges.
Vice President Mahama stressed the need for improvement in the Information, Communication and Technological (ICT) infrastructure for all government agencies.
He called for up-skilling of Ghanaian experts in this special field in order to drive development and growth into the country.
The Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Alex Kwapong chaired the launching, attended by Ministers of states, the hierarchy of the police administration, Service Commanders of the other security services, men and officers of the Police, Immigration, Prisons Services, Military and a cross section of the public.
The website was development by Whitesys Limited
