Police Service to open 200 police stations
Ghana Police Service is to open 200 new police stations under a five-year development plan to make its presence felt at the remotest part of the country, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, has disclosed.
Currently, the service has 747 police stations, 201 police administrative districts, 55 divisions and 11 regional headquarters.
Mr Alhassan, who was briefing members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and the Interior on the security situation in the country in Accra yesterday, however, said the service might not be able to meet its target as a result of limited funding.
He, therefore, appealed to the committee to work with the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to assist the service in its quest to bring policing to the doorstep of the people.
The numerical strength of the police is about 30,000 and this works up to a ratio of one policeman to 1,500 people.
Mr Alhassan explained that even though the figure fell below the United Nations recommended ratio of one policeman to 500 people, Ghana was not doing badly in comparison with some countries.
He added, however, that there was room for improvement.
Out of the 30,000 police personnel in the country, about 7,000 are women, some of whom are currently occupying sensitive decision-making positions.
Mr Alhassan told the committee that the security situation in the country was normal, stating that the service had deployed a number of personnel to flash points such as Alavanyo/Nkonya, Yendi, Bawku and Nankpanduri where they had been successful in maintaining peace.
According to him, the service was combining its traditional methods of policing with new innovations to bring down criminal activities in the communities.
“Police visibility patrols within the communities are aimed at giving assurance to the people of their security and protection,” he said.
He said while ‘tent cities’ had been raised at vantage points in the cities, the service continued to occasionally organise swoops to fish out unwarranted persons and retrieve stolen and contraband goods.
The IGP stated that some of the operational units of the service had been aligned in order to ensure effective use of available manpower and resources.
He added that the police were collaborating with the other security agencies, where necessary, in order to maintain peace in the country.
Mr Alhassan said as a result of its intensified activities, research conducted by the Research and Planning Department of the Ghana Police Service indicated that the fear of criminal activities among the people was currently low.
Market Fires
Mr Alhassan told the committee that in collaboration with personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service, a 24-hour patrol programme had been put in place, while safety education had also been intensified to educate market women to avoid fire outbreaks.
He added that as a result of those efforts, four persons were currently being prosecuted in connection with market fires.
Supreme Court Verdict
The IGP reiterated his assurance that the police had made adequate preparations in order to quell disturbances before, during and after the Supreme Court had delivered its verdict on the ongoing 2012 presidential election petition.
“We continue to provide security for all stakeholders and interested parties,” he said, adding, “We are on top of the situation. We have done our homework and we are ready to deal with any security challenge before, during and after the verdict has been delivered.”
The Chairman of the committee and Member of Parliament for Amenfi Central, Mr George Kofi Arthur, thanked the IGP for responding to the committee’s request to brief members on the security situation in the country.
He stated that the information that had being provided by the IGP would enable the committee, which has oversight responsibility over the security agencies, to be on top of its job.
By Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Rosina Blankson
