Increase our numbers before November 7 elections; northern regional police commander appeals to IGP

The Northern Regional Police Command has made an urgent appeal to the police administration to increase the number of personnel in the region before the November 7 general elections.

The total strength of the service in the region, the command said, stands at 1,632, made up of 1,297 males and 335 females.

This, the command said, is woefully inadequate to man the largest region in Ghana in terms of land mass.

It is therefore requested that the number of personnel be increased to about two thousand to minimize the constant importation of personnel from Accra. The problem of inadequate personnel is so acute that in some instances, the command is compelled to ask for additional personnel from the police headquarters to assist in some conflict areas in the region.

The Northern Regional Police Commander, D.C.O.P Ken Yeboah also appealed to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to speed up their infrastructural development and include police stations in their projects.

D.C.O.P Yeboah, however, commended the police hierarchy for the establishment of a well-equipped Formed Police Unit (FPU) in Tamale to cater to the needs of the northern sector.

According to D.C.O.P Yeboah, the FPU in Tamale will go a long way to avert clashes, improve police response time and also prevent wanton destruction of lives and properties. The size of the region, the command said, is proportional to its problems.

The regional command is also challenged with logistics and can only boost of 51 serviceable vehicles, some of which are more than 10 years old.

The region has no troops’ carrier (transfer vehicle) to conflicts areas. In spite of the challenges confronting the command, D.C.O.P Yeboah said, highway robberies on the Buipe-Pwalugu and Bamboi to Sawla on the Wenchi-Wa highway has been reduced through snap check points.

The commander also suggested to the I.G.P. to effect the transfer of personnel who have served for more than three years in the north to the south because their continued stay could affect their output, he explained.

In response, the I.G.P assured the command that some of its challenges will be solved by the end of June this year. On the transfer proposal, Mr Kudalor said officers whoserve for four years deserve to be transferred and that the administration will look into it.