Arming MTTD personnel: let’s exercise caution

The recent gruesome murder of two policemen at Buduburam in the Central Region has once again brought to the fore the need to take issues of safety and security much more seriously in the country.

In the last one month or so, there were reports of five policemen being killed — including the two at Buduburam on August 28, 2019 when criminals opened fire on them after speeding away when their vehicle was flagged to stop.

The other three died at a police checkpoint on the Tamale-Kunbungu road in the Northern Region; Manso Abodom in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region and a bank duty post in Akyem Swedru in the Eastern Region.

In a swift response to the tragic death of the two policemen at Buduburam, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, directed the acting Inspector General of Police to immediately provide arms and other protective gear for personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service (see story on page 44).

The directive, it is hoped, will empower the MTTD personnel to protect themselves while on national duty.

But since it was given, many tongues have been wagging as to what steps need to be taken to enhance the safety and security of our policemen as they carry out their mandate of providing internal security in the country.

The Daily Graphic is of the opinion that although the incident at Buduburam was unfortunate and a serious threat to peace and security, there should be no need for a panic approach to ensuring safety and security in our communities. The situation rather calls for clear terms of police-civilian engagements to ensure the security of all.

Personnel of the MTTD traditionally do not carry guns, aside from a few cases of emergency when they have to be drawn from traditional duties to beef up security in troubled areas. We thus think that implementing the policy of providing arms and ammunition for all MTTD personnel, without first equipping them with the requisite orientation and skills, may not be a good move, as there could be recklessness in handling the arms, and that will not guarantee safety and security in the country.
We, therefore, think that the country must ponder over this.

This is especially so as there are reported cases of some policemen having failed to account for the guns given to them. We think that more arms in their hands means more arms are likely to get into the hands of others who may want them for their own parochial interests but have not yet got the opportunity. Putting guns in the hands of such characters may rather endanger the society we are all seeking to protect.

That is why we need a pragmatic approach and globally accepted best practices to ensure that the country is safe from violent and criminal elements.

Guns naturally ward people off and we reason that at this time when the focus is on healthy police-civilian engagements, where the civilian will see the policeman as a friend and ally in the quest to guarantee the safety and security of all, it could be defeatist to introduce things that would work against that agenda.

Having said this, the Daily Graphic believes that the country needs proper profiling of persons recruited into the Ghana Police Service to ensure that they do not have an easy predisposition to violence.

If the citizenry trust our men in uniform, they will be willing and ready to offer timely tips or hints of possible criminal activities.

While security matters are a cause for concern, there is the need for wise counsel and to exercise good judgement to make society safe and secure.