Govt Presents 109 Vehicles to Police

By Anita Nyarko-Yirenkyi

Government yesterday presented 109 vehicles to the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to augment their fleet, at a ceremony in Accra.

The vehicles which included buses, ambulances, pick up; water tankers bring the total number of vehicles from government to the GPS to 481 since 2017.

The Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in handing over the vehicles to the GPS said for a country to progress there must be security, law and order.

He said the President has made it a point that the necessary logistics in terms of vehicles, equipment and ammunition were provided in adequate measure to the security agencies in the country.

"We are all familiar with stories where someone was robbed and they wanted the police to come but the local police station may not have vehicle and a private person would have to transport the police, this is not the type of police service we deserve," he added.

The Vice President said the public demand a lot from the police, but upon coming into office they were surprised about the level of logistical challenges that the police service face in terms of logistics and equipment.

Alhaji Bawumia said 109 more vehicles are expected to be provided in three months to help them discharge their duties.

He said the President is of the view that those who join the security services are putting their lives on the line for mother Ghana and so Ghana must provide to the GPS the adequate logistics to protect themselves and to defend the security of the nation.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong Boanuh in receiving the vehicles said the police have struggled over the years to perform their constitutional mandated duties with very limited logistics, including inadequate numbers of personnel, vehicles and other equipment for police operations and patrols.

He said a greater number of the limited police vehicles have become very expensive to maintain due to frequent breakdowns, because they are old and weak.

Mr Oppong Boanuh said in some emergency situation the Police Administration has to engage the services of private transport operators to convey officers to and from operation grounds at very huge cost to the service.

"The need therefore for additional vehicles to replace weaker ones to support police operations and other activities of the Police Administration cannot be overemphasised,"he added

He said this intervention by government in addition to other ongoing projects including the construction of 320 housing units at the National Police Training School would ease the accommodation problem.

The Deputy IGP commended government for the kind gesture and urged stakeholders to support the GPS, adding that government alone cannot provide all needs of the Service.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery assured the GPS of government's continuous effort to retool them to discharge their duties to ensure that every Ghanaian was safe in the country.

He urged them to maintain the vehicles to expand their lifespan.

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