By Morkporkpor Anku/ Elizabeth Baah, GNA
Accra, July 20, GNA – Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Edward Tabir, and Director-General of Private Security Operations Directorate at the Police Headquarters says the emergence of the Private Security Industry (PSI) onto the security landscape is refreshing.
He said it was refreshing in the sense that the operation of the Private Security Organisations (PSO) sought to support the efforts of the Ghana Police Service to deliver on its mandate of protecting lives and property.
DCOP Tabir was speaking at the launch of the maiden edition of the Ghana Private Security Organisations Fire and Safety Exhibition and Excellence Awards in Accra on Friday.
The exhibition and seminars will take place on the 18th – 20th October 2018 at the Aviation social Centre, while the Awards banquet takes place on the 27th of October at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel.
He said the Police could not be everywhere all the time, so it came as a relief that PSO took care of the security at most private homes and businesses.
DCOP Tabir said he might not be far from the truth to say that if properly streamlined, the PSI had the potential to wipe off the deficit in Police to population ratio currently encountered by the nation.
“Not in all spheres of policing though, but areas relating to the provision of guard and escort duties,” he added.
He said the Police Service (PSO) Regulations, 1992 Legislative Instrument 1571 was enacted in 1992 to provide the legal framework to effectively regulate the activities of PSOs, but many of the PSOs operated either without license or contrary to provisions of the law.
“If not controlled, this unhealthy situation has the potential to endanger the security of individuals and the country,” he said.
He said the Police administration in February 2017 established the PSO Directorate to collaborate with the Ministry of Interior and all stakeholders to bring the needed sanity into the PSI.
The Director-General said among the aims of the directorate were to help reform and restructure the PSI with a view to streamlining the operations of PSOs and integrating them into the national security system, to ensure that their operations conformed to the laws governing them.
He said a tripartite solution had been found to the type of uniform PSOs were permitted to wear and three different sets of uniforms had been approved and launched by the Inspector General of Police on October 2017.
He said the prescription of uniforms sought to cure the growing proliferation of all kinds of uniforms and abuse of the kinds worn by the State Security Agencies such as the Police and the Military.
Dr Franklin Kwesi Biney, Security Analyst and Consultant said considering the journey of private security industry the first edition promised to be impressive and exciting.
He said experts would share their experience and knowledge to fashion out strategies and methodologies to strengthen national security capabilities and institutional capacity to address the role of private security issues.
He said the discussions would also address the mitigation cross country banditry, terrorism, insurgency, piracy and protection of international critical infrastructure and role of the private security.
He said the conferences were going to be highly educative and interactive impacting knowledge and skills on participants, while providing manufactures, suppliers and agents a rare market opportunity to showcase their latest technology, products, services before a very high profile gathering of end users from within and outside Ghana.
Mr Oscar Boadu, the Event Organiser said the maiden event would benefit PSO’s, Institutions, State Security Agencies, Firefighting Service Providers and the General Public.
He said as the interim national organiser promoting the private security industry and the Association erasing the negative perception of watchman tagged business and confronting the various challenges they encounter each and every day in our operation was his desire.
He therefore, entreated all invited guests and stakeholders to throw in their support to such a worthy course in making the private security sector a better industry for economic development.
GNA
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