Gov’t to rehabilitate police stations nationwide – Nana Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo has indicated that the government will this year [2018], undertake a nationwide rehabilitation of police stations across the country.

He said this is aimed at standardizing police infrastructure across the country.

The President made the announcement when he commissioned an office complex built by Kwame Despite for the Tesano Divisional Police Headquarters in Accra.

At the ceremony on Monday, the President said the aim of the government is to strengthen the police and make it a credible institution that will be adequately resourced to undertake preventive policing rather than reactive.

“It is vital that the executive should offer its full support to the police to allow it perform its duty of maintaining law and order. Government continues to mobilize whatever assistance it can to enable the police to provide Ghanaian people with the kind of service they deserve. This year [2018], we are undertaking the rehabilitation of police stations throughout the country to standardize the infrastructure. Our aim is to strengthen the police, fashion it into an honest, disciplined efficient and robust force whose emphasis will be on preventive policing rather than reactive,” Akufo-Addo said.

He further mentioned that as part of efforts to equip the police with the requisite logistics to fight crime in the country, the government would deploy 8,700 CCTV cameras across all districts in the country.

“8,700 CCTV cameras across all the districts with 3 command centers in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale to equip the police better, at least 1,000 new vehicles will be provided for the police this year. Already 200 pickups have been allocated to them,” Akufo-Addo added in his address.

While indicating government’s resolve to provide the police with more equipment to undertake their duties, he urged them to properly maintain the facilities and logistics.

“We insist that the police should pay particular attention to the proper maintenance of these equipment and facilities,” Akufo-Addo said.

Public donations may compromise police – Sowatey warns

A Security Analyst, Emmanuel Sowatey, has said it will be counterproductive for Ghanaians to support the police with various needed logistics.

“In the short term, it may be very attractive to receive different forms of assistance from individuals and corporate bodies. But in the long term, it may be counterproductive,” he cautioned.

Though he said some beneficiaries of such support may continue to remain professional, “it undermines, to some extent, that level of trust and perception that individuals would have,” Mr. Sowatey said.

“If Mr. X gave those resources to the police and Mr. X has a problem with Mr. Y, the fact that Mr. Y knows that Mr. X provided the Police with certain logistics, in the mind of Mr. Y, the police will tilt to the side of the party because the other party provided the police certain logistics,” he illustrated.