Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has advised the public to assist the police in their quest to maintain peace and order in the country.
Though the police are the lead institution charged with maintaining law and order in the country, the Vice-President said “the fact remains that this responsibility does not rest with the police alone. Citizens are equally enjoined to assist the police achieve the goal”.
Get-together
In a speech read on his behalf at the end-of-year get-together at the Police Headquarters in Accra yesterday, dubbed West African Security Services Association (WASSA) 2013, Mr Amissah-Arthur noted that the performance of the police in the recent past had received very appreciable public commendation and rating.
Attributing the good work of the service to innovations such as the visibility and accessibility patrols introduced in February 2013, he urged the police not to rest on their oars but strive to become a world-class service.
On the welfare of police personnel, the Vice-President said the government was concerned about it, since “a sound mind resides in a sound body”.
The WASSA get-together is an annual celebration during which members of the security services interact, relax, reflect on and strategise for the year ahead. It can be traced to the Gold Coast era when security services socialised and made merry after a tedious year’s work.
2013 was eventful
In a welcome address, the Director-General of Services, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr James Oppong–Boanuh, said 2013 was eventful in the field of crime combat, protection of life and property and police services in general.
He entreated the police to remember that innovation and change had become part of policing “and if we fail to innovate, we will be left behind,” and reiterated the call on the public to support the police in the discharge of their duties.
Mr Oppong–Boanuh also stated that it was the responsibility of the police to court the support of the communities in which they served in order to win their trust and confidence.
“Our clarion call for this year is for massive public support for our operational strategies to enable us to discharge our duties.”
He advised police personnel to eschew all negative practices which dented the image of the service.
Honouring fallen heroes
The occasion, which saw top police officers dancing to tunes played by the Ghana Police Band, the leading police gospel musician, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kofi Sarpong and the ace highlife musician, Kojo Antwi, was also used to honour police officers who died in the course of duty in 2013.
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