Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has announced plans by government to fix CCTV cameras in all Police stations across the country.
The move according to Dr. Bawumia will enhance security in these stations.
[contextly_sidebar id=”84yfIstcBtL78GelrpOCxQZaLJwYflZt”]The announcement comes on the back of numerous attacks on Police stations by suspected criminals and thugs, the latest being the Kwabanya attack which led to the death of a police officer.
Speaking at the graduation of new Police Cadets, Dr. Bawumia said government will equip the Police Service with the required resources to deal with similar incidents that might occur in future.
“Negotiations have just been completed for the rollout of Phase 2 of the Alpha Project which will involve the deployment of 8,700 CCTV cameras in all 216 districts with three command centres in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale. In line with our plans to equip the Police better, at least 1,000 new vehicles will be procured for the service this year. Already two hundred pick-up vehicles have been allocated with two hundred salon vehicles to be delivered in six weeks time with more to come,” he said.
From 2016 to January 2018, 17 police officers have lost their lives in their line of duty. The total number of police deaths from 2013 to date, is 48.
Kwabenya attack
A few weeks ago a gang of suspected armed robbers also attacked the Kwabenya District Police Headquarters, which accommodates the Kwabenya Police Station, killing the officer on duty, and freeing cell inmates.
A total of seven inmates were freed but three of them have since been rearrested.
Ghc800m for police; helicopters, drones in the offing- Nana Addo
Government in a bid to address this problem has announced plans of allocating some GH¢ 800million to the Ghana Police Service to ensure improvement in its operations.
President Nana Addo who made the announcement said the amount will be used for the procurement of modern policing equipment and gadgets including helicopters and drones to enhance the capacity of the service in dealing with crime in the country.
In his 2018 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo also said the government is committed to resourcing the police with the necessary equipment to ensure that it carries out its mandate of enforcing law and order in the country.
“The police, the prosecution services and the judiciary owe it to all of us to make us feel and be safe. I do not need to repeat that crime wears no political colours, and I am certain that message has gone down to all…The law enforcement agencies will crack down very hard on all those who would disturb the peace of our nation…We will give the Police the resources they need to do their job,” Akufo-Addo said.
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By: Sammy Wiafe & Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana