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Mr David Asante Apeatu
Mr David Asante Apeatu

Operation Father Xmas launched to deal with miscreants

The Police Administration has rolled out a programme to contain crime and ensure safety on the roads as Christmas inches closer.

Across the country, 14,000 policemen have been deployed to commercial centres, including markets, and other areas known to be prone to crime.

 Officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) have also been deployed to enforce road safety regulations on the roads.

Beef security

Already, the administration has suspended all forms of leave for personnel, while those currently on leave have been recalled to beef up security before, during and after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Launching the Christmas Operational Duties of the police, dubbed: “Operation Father Christmas”, in Accra yesterday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr David Asante-Apeatu, assured members of the public that the police were poised to provide the desired safety and security systems necessary for the festive season.

He said the safety and security of all citizens during the festive season and beyond was the topmost priority of the Police Service and it would not deviate from it.

A display by the policemen during the launch of “Operation Father Christmas” by the Inspector-General of Police. Picture:ESTHER ADJEI


World-class policing

The IGP indicated that the vision of the Police Service was to be a world-class organisation capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective and peaceful services up to international best practice.

That, according to him, required dedication from all police personnel and all other citizens to ensure that the police operated in an acceptable environment.  
 
“This event is one of those that usually bring the police closer to the public, for, after all, our job is to make sure that people celebrate the season free from fear of crime and unruly behaviour,” he said.  

Mr Asante-Apeatu warned all potential criminals who thought the Christmas and New Year season was a conducive time to engage in their nefarious activities to rethink, as the police, with support from their sister security agencies, would not relent in their efforts to provide peace and security for law-abiding people in the country.

Law and order

He also warned that any act of land guards or people calling themselves vigilantes that infringed on the laws of the land would be met with the full might of the police.

He said the job of the police was to enforce the law without fear or favour and emphasised that the police were determined to respect the Constitution by maintaining law and order with the highest degree of impartiality and professionalism.

He indicated that people who violated traffic rules and regulations in the cities, especially the unlawful use of sirens, would not have it easy with the police.
 “Let’s all respect the law for safer and secure communities,” he admonished Ghanaians.

Road carnage

The IGP lamented the fact that too many lives had been lost on the roads and called for radical measures to deal with recalcitrant drivers, insensitive and irresponsible vehicle owners, as well as unprofessional policemen, to make the roads safer.
 
He urged officers from the MTTD  to be at their professional best and pull through the Yuletide with zero tolerance for reckless driving and pedestrian misbehaviour.
“The effort of the government in retooling the service cannot go unnoticed. Support from the government in the form of vehicles and other logistics in 2018 was just the tip of the iceberg, as the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is unwavering in his commitment to modernise the Ghana Police Service,” he said

Mr Asante-Apeatu gave assurance that in 2019 the fire power of the service would be improved and more vehicles would be received to improve mobility and enhance operations.

He added that  the welfare of officers in the frontline was a prioritised area that would be made manifest.

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