Asante-Apeatu inducted as IGP - Charged to deal with security challenges

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante-Apeatu, has been inducted into office, with a charge on him to lead a Police Service that will wage a relentless war on lawlessness by vigilante groups and other nagging security challenges.

He has also been urged to take steps to build a strong Police Service that will wean itself off undesirable political interference in the discharge of its duties.

The Director of Religious Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, the Very Rev. Fr George Arthur, who gave the charge at the induction service held at the Ghana Police Church in Accra yesterday, said the focus of the IGP ought to be on creating a positive image for the Police Service.

“You are taking office at a time when all citizens are worried about protocol enlistment into the Police Service, growing indiscipline among some police officers, lawlessness on the part of the Delta Force and other vigilante groups, as well as the devastating effects of galamsey on the environment.

“Ghanaians have the marking scheme to judge your performance, so they expect you to build a Police Service that will reduce carnage on the roads, weed out perceived corruption among police officers and also deal with lawlessness to promote peace and security in the country,” the Very Rev. Fr Arthur said.

Induction

The induction service was attended by top officials of the security agencies, government officials, traditional rulers, former IGPS and the clergy.

Among them were the Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery; the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Ms Gloria Akuffo, and the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Major Gen. Obed Boama Akwa.

At the colourful event, Mr Dery presented the IGP to the Very Rev. Fr Arthur, who administered the vow and oath of office to the new IGP and asked for divine protection for him.

The Very Rev. Fr Arthur observed that the security ramifications in the country were dire, particularly as there were pockets of violence between ethnic groups, stressing that “as the IGP, you need to take objective decisions and be firm in doing the right thing”.

Politics

Touching on the politicisation of the Police Service, he urged the IGP to root out the practice whereby some police officers were promoted based on partisan considerations.

“Favouritism has become a thorn in the flesh of state institutions, including the Police Service, and this is a setback to the country’s fledgling democracy,” he added, and urged the IGP to be guided by the truth and transparency at all times.

He also stressed the need for the IGP to ensure that enlistment into the Police Service was based on merit, instead of the protocol enlistment that had the tendency to produce bad lots.

Citations were read by the Police Administration and the old students of the Suhum Secondary Technical School, eulogising Mr Asante-Apeatu for the feat he had chalked up.

Assurance

Speaking shortly after his induction, the new IGP, who drew inspiration from Matthew 5:9, expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for appointing him to the highest position in the Police Service.

“I want to assure the people of Ghana that under my leadership as IGP, I will ensure that there is accountability and a high sense of integrity among police officers.

“We will discharge our duties in an impartial manner to make sure that no individual is seen to be above the law, so acts of lawlessness will not be countenanced,” he said.

He pledged that he would lead a transformational agenda to change the operations and welfare of police personnel in the interest of national security.

Mr Asante-Apeatu observed that crimes were becoming complex, a development that required effective collaboration among personnel of the security agencies to be able to deal effectively with them.

He said the situation also required the adoption of information and communications technology (ICT) to facilitate the fight against crime.

Top officials of the security agencies at the ceremony