National security is shared task

Fighting crime and ensuring the safety and security of individuals and the state are a shared responsibility.

Without citizens taking responsibility to cooperate with the security agencies, it will be nearly impossible for the security agencies to deliver on their mandate.
 
The security agencies, therefore, cannot ignore the critical role citizens play in safeguarding the security of the state.

That is why it is unacceptable when some elements in our security set-up take the law into their own hands and abuse citizens but turn around to complain that Ghanaians are unwilling to help fight crime.

One of Ghana’s respected security chiefs with an unblemished record, Mr Kofi Bentum Quantson, in an interview with this paper, challenged Ghanaians to be bold in exposing rogue elements in their communities and within the security agencies.

He explained that the actions and inaction of crooked elements jeopardised public safety, security and well-being.

“Many are just ignorant of the possible threats to their way of life.

Many suffer from ‘security illiteracy’. They just do not care until the consequences of their security lapses hit them in the face.

“Regrettably, others also think it is the ‘security people’ who should protect them.

They do not realise that they are a component part of the security system. They forget that they are either part of the problem or part of the solution,” he said.

The Daily Graphic could not agree more with Mr Quantson’s submissions.
 
The fact that we need the security agencies and they also need the citizenry to enable the safety and security of the state to be guaranteed can never be contested.

In this era of global security threats, it must dawn on every citizen to be conscious of the things and people around them so that in their own little way, they can assist to prevent burglaries, robberies and attacks not only in our homes and workplaces, but on vital national assets.

This requires that we are security conscious and pass on the relevant information of events and happenings around us to the security agencies.

The security agencies, in turn, must ensure that they not only safeguard such information but process it for the requisite preventive action to be taken.

We note that though objective data on corruption in the security agencies is difficult to obtain, citizens have the perception that some elements in the police institution in Ghana are unwilling to report the deviance of fellow officers.

Yet others view the police as people who do not treat others fairly when it comes to procedural justice about issues involving themselves and the civilian population.

These, among others, are what have created trust issues between the civilian population and their security counterparts.

But trust between our security agencies and the population is needed to ensure the security of the state and the individual.

It is for this reason that we implore citizens to heed Mr Quantson’s call  to expose all rogue elements in the security system, since their acts, overt or covert, jeopardise the collaboration that is needed to safeguard people’s safety and well-being.

In ensuring that there is discipline within our security system to effectively tackle security issues in the country, the Daily Graphic believes that the rest of the populace should be educated to observe basic security and safety measures that will make them cultivate and sustain basic security consciousness as a way of life.

That way, we will be equipping everyone to help build a robust security system, which is an essential condition for sustainable development.