Police Won't Discriminate - IGP Assures
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has assured political parties and the electorate that the police will not discriminate against any group or persons in the discharge of its duties during and after the 2012 general election.
He said the police would also not display bias or partiality but continue to remain accountable to the State and Ghanaians.
The IGP stated this during an interaction with personnel of the service in Tamale as part of his one-day maiden working visit to the Northern Region. It was to afford him the opportunity of interacting with police personnel in the regions and to educate them on the strategic policies of the police administration.
“Recent events nationwide have made it imperative that we continue to re-strategise to enable us confront rowdyism and rioting situations in a more robust and prompt manner,” Mr Quaye stated.
He intimated that the Northern Region was unique when it came to policing, as it had over the years experienced a series of chieftaincy and ethnic conflicts, some of which were re-current.
“Indisputably, such conflicts demand the excessive commitment of our meager resources in the form of personnel and logistics. Police resources in this region are, therefore, perpetually over-stretched,” the IGP noted.
He announced that the region would be allocated its share of the 1,000 vehicles and assorted operational accoutrement that the government had given out.
He explained that the measures were part of the five-year Strategic and National Policing Plan.
Broadly stated, he said, the vision and mission of the police service was to be a world class service, using democratic policing principles and internationally accepted best practices to prevent and fight crime.
“I must mention that the Criminal Investigations Department has been revamped to adopt scientific aids to criminal investigations, while the Forensic Laboratory has been refurbished,” Mr Quaye stated. He expressed with regret the inability of the service to achieve maximum results in the detection of culprits.
“There are too many unresolved cases, some of which have been pending for years; for instance in 2011, out of a total of 221,107 cases reported to the police nationwide, as many as 176,295 cases representing 76 per cent were still under investigations by December 31, 2011,” he pointed out.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Mr George Tuffour, said crime rate in the region had reduced between 2010 and 2011.
He said in 2010, 31 cases of crime were reported as compared with 21 cases in 2011.
“Currently the police-civilian population ratio is about 1:3,700 which undermines effective policing” he stated.
DCOP Tuffuor observed that the region had only five reliable patrol vehicles that were being used for the Bole, Buipe and Tamale Metropolis.
According to him, monthly remittances to the administration were being used purposely for the repairs of the “rickety vehicles”.
He equally mentioned security challenges in terms of chieftaincy disputes at Bimbilla, Buipe and the Dagbon problem.
The IGP early on called on the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi.
The minister noted that the region needed to have a helicopter to help address the security issues. Mr Asabigi expressed concern over the conflict between Bimobas and Konkombas in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district.