Today The Statesman calls on the whole country to join in condemnation of the recent spate of police killings which have occurred.
The Police Service has long been considered our front line of security; if no protection can be secured for the very people who uphold law and order within Ghana then where does that leave the rest of us?
We support the Ghana Police Service's move to provide post-humus promotions for the brave individuals involved in the recent killings, our thoughts are with their families and we are at least comforted by the promise of compensation for those immediately affected.
But this cannot become the model for dealing with police assault and murder. The safety of police personnel is paramount and we urge all stakeholders to ensure the killings have ended.
Currently the population of police personnel is about 20,000, increasing yearly by 2,000. However, with the current national population pushing past the 22 million mark, not to mention long-term expatriate workers and visitors, is this yearly increase really enough?
We need to have a strong police presence on our streets and in our communities to ensure that the police force is our first port of call when combating or reporting crime.
With less than one police officer for every thousand citizens is it any wonder that we are experiencing an upsurge in violent crimes, murder, robbery and assault.
Indeed, reading the daily morbid headlines thrown at us by some newspapers on the electronic media, it is possible to interpret Ghanaian society as in a state of criminal meltdown, with the country under siege.
Whilst we do not believe that the situation is by any means as critical as this, we are aware of an increase in convicted prisoners, more recorded arrests and reported crime which all point to a rising crime rate.
Is our police force currently equipped well enough to deal with such social ills? The answer has to be no, the Police Service is currently under-funded and ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of contemporary policing.
Speaking with The Statesman yesterday, Deputy Superintendent of Police in charge of Public Relations Kwesi Ofori admitted that the police was experiencing problems with communication units. Not every frontline operative is equipped with a walkie-talkie or other means to contact headquarters, making them a sitting-duck for attacks.
How can organised, efficient crime prevention and detection possibly take place with such a limited communication capacity? Government is currently addressing this issue of communication with the support of private bodies and we urge for the process to be expedited.
The idea of an officer upholding the law, entering dangerous situations without support or backup is un-thinkable and these scenarios must be eradicated.
We call for increased funding for the police to include a review of the salary structure. Many front line personnel frequently risk their lives in the name of duty in order to protect the general public and must be salaried accordingly.
A better employment package offered to all new recruits and existing members will be conducive to eradicating instances of bribery and spot fines within the system.
This, in turn, will ensure that the police service demonstrates efficient, productive crime reduction and increase public support of the policing and judiciary system. Society as a whole must take a stance against the recent police killings and fully back our police force.
Without the security and safety offered by these brave men and women our society would surely reach breaking point. These are testing times for the police but there is never an excuse for failure.
