NPP commends the Police for proactive reaction to Takoradi fake kidnap, security issues

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has commended the Ghana Police Service for their more proactive public posture in addressing some recent developments which have affected the safety of Ghanaians.

According to the New Patriotic Party's (NPP’s) Director of Communications, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the Police have recently been engaging the public in real-time and sharing the path of their progress in ongoing investigations which affect the security of citizens.

Citing the Police response to the reported kidnap of a pregnant woman in Takoradi which turned out to be fake, Mr Asamoa urged other public service agencies, especially utilities, to engage swiftly on their challenges that affect service delivery in order to forestall misunderstanding.

"We (The NPP) wish to commend the Police on their more proactive public posture. They are engaging in real-time and sharing the path of their progress. We urge them to sustain this level of communication," Mr Asamoah said at a press briefing on Friday in Accra.

"We also urge other public service agencies, especially utilities, to engage swiftly on their challenges affecting service delivery in order to forestall misunderstanding. Above all, we commend the Police for their swift and dogged investigation of the Takoradi matter and hope that they will bring it to the appropriate conclusion".

He said the party would continue to support the Police "to ensure swift action in incidents of mob destruction of property and physical attack in order to terminate violence as a method of resolution of public grievances".

"The NPP is ready to partner well-meaning citizens to expand spaces for dialogue in the democracy we are building. Sustaining economic growth and social cohesion depends on discipline in exercising our freedoms. Your freedom is guaranteed when you guarantee your neighbours freedom".

NPP government committed to safety of citizens

He further assured that the NPP-led government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was solidly committed to the security, safety and peace of citizens, because that is the bedrock of socio-economic development.

Mr Asamoa said the Akufo-Addo administration had as a result rolled-out a mix of policy, resources, advocacy and legal rules towards building up resilient security capacity across the services.

"A most significant policy is the National Security Strategy (NSS). The first of its kind since independence, it is a groundbreaking document that outlines various security threats, sets out a structural framework for the coordination of resources and crisis management and outlines the security aspects and responsibilities of ministries and agencies," he said.

"Published in 2020 by the National Security Ministry, I recommend it as a must read for media practitioners and security analysts in order to better appreciate where we are as a nation in terms of awareness and preparation. It will really help the media to better inform their audiences about security issues and the analysis of implications for stability.

"Focusing on the Police, over one thousand vehicles have been supplied them since 2017. Beyond that, technology is being infused into Police operations at a rapid rate. Police surveillance cameras gave us the benefit of reviewing the car related armed robberies. Equipment and working environments are being enhanced. Personnel numbers are being beefed up constantly, the most recent being a share of the ongoing recruitment of eleven thousand personnel into the security sector.

"The passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), providing for heavy sentences against political violence and violence around land and private property, has also empowered the Police to be more proactive in suppressing political violence and land guard activities. H E President Akufo-Addo has also not hesitated in preaching against attitudes that undermine Rule of Law, his most remarkable being the addresses to the Ghana Bar Association Conferences of 2018 and 2021, when he spoke about society wide actions undermining the law and the nonpayment of taxes respectively".