Ministry, police adopt measures to enhance national security
Interior Minister Ambrose Dery has outlined measures that the ministry and the police have initiated to combat insecurity and mob violence in the country.
Advertisement
He said the ministry was also engaging stakeholders, such as the National Peace Council, the National Security, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior and security experts, in a bid to promote an integrated approach to curbing perceived insecurity and mob violence in the country.
Answering a question posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on what measures the Ministry for the Interior was taking to combat insecurity and mob violence in the country last Wednesday, Mr Dery said the goal of the measures "is to make Ghanaians feel safe and as long as that is not achieved, we shall not relent."
Security measures
Mr Dery mentioned increasing police vigilance, characterised by vigorous police patrols and regular snap checks at vantage points to check possession of illegal implements, as one of the measures.
He said the police had also increased their presence at public places and social gatherings.
Arrests and prosecution
Mr Dery said the police were being supported with modern gadgets to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of mob violence.
Besides, he said, the ministry and the police had initiated a campaign to educate the public on mob violence and the consequences for perpetrators of lawlessness.
The minister added that community-based policing by the Community Policing Unit had been intensified to encourage peaceful coexistence and neighbourliness.
He said that the Police Service was embarking on rebranding its image to encourage the public to cooperate with police officers in the discharge of their duties.
Insurance cover
Mr Dery hinted that the government was working on an insurance package for police personnel. He said the government had also provided the police with protective gear.
He disclosed that the current number of police personnel was 56,000, adding that the country needed 33,000 more police personnel.