REJOINDER: Privatising the Police

The attention of the Police Administration has been drawn to a feature story captioned as above and carried by the 2nd September, 2015 issue of the Daily Graphic, and wishes to correct the wrong impression the story seeks to create.

It is rather unfortunate that the writer seeks to discount the importance of stakeholder co-operation and collaboration in crime combat and policing in general in these contemporary times. Clearly, the support of stakeholders in law and order, including corporate organizations, municipal and district assemblies, non-governmental organizations, chiefs, opinion leaders and philanthropists is crucial to policing.

All over the world these stakeholders and bodies have continued to support their Police institutions without any conflict or compromising their functions efficiency. The practice of corporate organizations, institutions, individual and others supporting the Police by providing the Service with infrastructure and logistics, is not new. For instance, information posted on the internet in November 1, 2012 indicates that from 2007 to 2012 the Metropolitan Police of the U.K “received donations and sponsorship, worth £22.7 million from dozens of organizations”.

Another piece of information googled on the net reads “Police officers in Ferguson have begun wearing body cameras in an effort to restore trust in the force after the shooting of unarmed teenager Mike Brown. Officers have been equipped with cameras after two private companies, Safety Vision and Digital Ally, donated more than 50 of them last week”.

The records of the Ghana Police Service are replete with these kinds of support, ranging from buildings, automobiles, tent cities, jackets and other logistics. This has not, in any way, served to compromise the Police in the discharge of their duties. On the contrary, it is evident that the collaboration has improved service delivery over the years.

It must also be noted that this co-operation with institutions and bodies has not replaced Government’s responsibilities to resource the Police. Indeed it is public knowledge the effort Government has made and continues to make to put the Police on the right footing to deliver on its mandate. Mention can be made of vehicles, infrastructure, such as office and residential accommodation, medical facilities, equipment among others.

The Police Service has, in the past, collaborated with these stakeholders to deliver on its mandate without any let or hinderance, and it will continue to tap into this wealth of support for as long as it would serve the common good of the people, and would not compromise its efficiency, or create any conflict of interest.