Well done, IGP and team

THE Police Administration last Thursday organised a maiden remembrance day service for its gallant men and women who had died in the line of duty over the years.  

Led by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, a sod was also cut for the erection of a cenotaph to institutionalise the Police Martyr’s Day celebration. Wreaths were also laid at the maiden event, which attracted not only serving personnel but also retirees and relatives of deceased personnel.

Symbolic as that event was, we believe the initiative of the Police Administration is worth applauding. Although the Remembrance Day, which would be observed on the last Thursday of November every year, will certainly not resurrect the dead, it will give some satisfaction to the surviving relatives that the efforts of the deceased officers were not in vain.

It will also motivate serving personnel to also put in their best whether they are on patrol duties, peace-keeping, crime combat or wherever they find themselves in the line of duty.

The Daily Graphic, therefore, commends the leadership of the Ghana Police Service for that bold and worthy initiative to keep personnel and their relations happy. For, a ceremony to remember the achievements, courage and dedication to duty of personnel is, indeed, worth celebrating.

As the IGP said at the function, “many of them did not ask to leave their loved ones and face armed gangs. Many did not even do so voluntarily. They did not go because they fancied gun battle. These were ordinary police personnel who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme cases”.

There cannot be a better occasion to assuage the emotional suffering of bereaved families and friends of fallen heroes than a Martyrs Day. It will also be an occasion for personnel to also show solidarity to their fallen colleagues.

However, we believe that the Police Administration will take steps to ensure that the few bad lots who might die in the course of embarking on any illegal operation are not included in the list of those whose names would be written in gold. It is a fact that while majority of police personnel are honest and hard working, the few bad lots continue to tarnish the image of the service.

The Daily Graphic has not lost touch of the image cleansing of the Police Administration and we urge the IGP to continue with the exercise as we are solidly behind him. We wish to remind him that the public confidence programme he launched can only gain root if he successfully deals with the undesirabe elements while initiating such laudable programmes as the Martyrs Day.

The Daily Graphic is proud to be associated with the initiative of the Police Administration.

We urge personnel to replicate this commendable initiative of the Police Administration by delivering qualitative and dedicated service to Ghanaians. We believe that if the personnel do their best, they will be pulling the entire country to the celebrations.

Kudos, IGP.