Monday, July 13, 2009

POLICE URGED TO BE NEUTRAL (PAGE 51, JULY 6)

THE Northern Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Nayina, has advised the police not to allow their political preferences to influence the discharge of their professional responsibilities.
He told the police to remain neutral, live above reproach and exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
Mr Nayina gave the advice during an interaction with personnel of the Ghana Police Service in Tamale as part of his familiarisation tour of government departments and security agencies in the metropolis.
The minister visited the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Prisons and Fire Services and the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
The minister observed that the Dagbon chieftaincy problem was still a major challenge in the efforts to ensure peace in the region and charged the personnel to support the peace efforts.
The minister said the police themselves must “weed out the bad lots” in their fold, noting that some of them took “bribes” to satisfy their selfish interests to the neglect of enforcing the laws rigidly.
The Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Angwuntogne Awuni, assured the minister that the personnel would perform their duties professionally.
He, however, indicated that some opinion leaders, politicians and traditional rulers were interfering in the work of the police and this most often impacted negatively on curbing crime in the region.
For his part, the Regional Commander of the GIS, Mr Divine Narlobie, thanked the minister for facilitating the allocation of a new office building to the service.
The Regional Fire Officer, Mr Herbert Acquah, mentioned poor staffing, broken-down vehicles, lack of residential accommodation for personnel and poor hydrants as some of the major challenges facing his outfit.
He stated that last year, 137 fire outbreaks were recorded in the region causing damage to property estimated at GH¢650,504.
According to Mr Acquah, 60 fire outbreaks had been recorded for the first quarter of this year, damaging property worth GH¢224,000.
He further said four deaths were recorded last year as against 41 registered during the first quarter of this year.

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