Women urged to advocate peace to promote sustainable development

The President of the Brong Ahafo Regional branch of the Police Wives Association (POLWA), Mrs Veronica Twumasi-Ankrah, has urged women in the country to use their natural endowments and resources to advocate peace to help promote unity and development in the country.

She said it was unfortunate that some women who were supposed to advocate peace to enhance development in the country were engaged in violent and other criminal activities, such as armed robbery, being perpetrated in some parts of the country.

She was speaking at the launch of activities marking the 30th anniversary celebrations of the association in the various regions, on the theme: "POLWA at 30: Empowering the Wives to Support their Husbands to Succeed at Work,".

The regional anniversary celebrations was launched at the Regional Police Headquarters in Sunyani.

POLWA was formed in 1987 to bring together wives of male police officers to make them aware of the intricacies of their husbands' job, and to efficiently offer their husbands the needed support at home.

According to records from the association, it was initially established to address the concerns of the wives and their children but had now moved further to become a registered non-governmental organisation.

POLWA

This year marks 30 years since the wives of personnel of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) conceived the idea of coming together to form an association to support their husbands in the discharge of their duties to the people of Ghana.

The launch of the regional celebration brought together wives of other security agency associations to commemorate the anniversary.

She said the association was using the celebration to create an endowment fund to resource the organisation as well as address some of the concerns of its members, and appealed to women, including police wives, to desist from getting involved in or aiding any form of criminal activities to help maintain peace and to ensure development in the country.

Mrs Twumasi-Ankrah lamented the dilapidated structures being used by some police officers as their accommodation, and called on the government to construct police barracks for the various commands to help give the officers the right frame of mind to execute their duties.

Appeal to President

She used the occasion to appeal to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, through the Inspected General of Police, Mr David Asante-Apeatu, to speed up promotion processes in the Ghana Police Service (GPS).

She also made a similar appeal through the IGP to the President to consider increasing the salaries of police officers.

Recommendations

For his part, the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwame Techie-Poku, commended members of the association for supporting their husbands in time of difficulties, depression and taking care of the home while they were away on the field discharging their duties.

He encouraged members of the association to continue to offer the needed emotional and psychological support to their husbands as a way of boosting their morale to maintain law and order.

Writer’s email: biiya4mukusahali@yahoo.com