Police must stay neutral in discharge of duties - Prez
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stressed the need for the police to stay neutral in the discharge of their duties as they are mandated by law in order to win the trust and respect of the people in whose interest they served.
He said even though they might have political affiliations, they must ensure that it only manifested on the ballot paper during elections and not to display their biases openly because the people expected them to be impartial in their duties.
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“I do not know the political leanings of any of the commanding officers of the security agencies, including the police service, neither do I seek to know as that is not my concern,” the President said.
He said his concern was the ability of the peace officers to deliver on their mandate professionally to build a credible security service.
President Akufo-Addo, who was addressing the 49th Cadet Officers’ graduation parade of the Ghana Police Service at the Police Academy at Tesano in Accra last Friday, said in an era of rule of law, such acts would not be tolerated.
Corruption
President Akufo-Addo attributed the poor public image of the police partly to the involvement of some of the personnel in corrupt practices and, therefore, urged the leadership of the service to take steps to deal with the issue.
He also condemned the recent gruesome killings of some serving police officers, saying the trend must not be allowed to continue, and that the perpetrators of such heinous crimes must be made to face the full rigours of the law.
The President commended the police for their swift action in apprehending alleged perpetrators of the crimes and asked them to employ the same means to arrest criminals when the victims were civilians, adding “no one deserves to be killed under any criminal or extra judicial circumstances.”
He also stated that any police officer who broke the law or abused the freedoms and human rights of any member of the society must be brought to book.
Kidnappings
President Akufo-Addo said the families of the three Takoradi missing girls and the fourth person whose remains were discovered recently were waiting anxiously for news of their whereabouts and expressed the hope that the police would respond to their growing concerns.
Equipment
The President said under the two and a half years of his administration, the police service had received 568 vehicles, describing the development as unprecedented because, according to him, the police had only 492 vehicles before the government’s intervention.
He said currently about 320 housing units were under construction for the police, while 4,500 bullet proof jackets had also been distributed to personnel.
Additionally, the President said the government had procured three helicopters for the police while six officers had been sponsored to undergo pilot training in South Africa.
He said the police would soon have a digitised laboratory to aid them in their criminal investigations work, adding that they would also be offered monthly allowances to support them in unearthing crime.
Commendation
President Akufo-Addo commended the police academy on the 60th anniversary celebration and urged the graduands to be change agents by bringing their knowledge and expertise to bear on their work.
For the first time in the history of the police academy officer course, a female, Ms Theodora Ntiriwaa, was adjudged the best officer cadet.