Police Service Personnel Are Crying For Help Silently

Our recent visit to Ghana revealed a horrible service conditions for our police men and women who are in the forefront of the war on drugs and armed robbery among other crimes in the country.

The Accra Central District Police Quarters is in shambles and has eight police officers occupying a single room meant for one officer and his or her family! There are over 50 rooms harbouring on average 6 police officers! As if this is not bad enough to dampen any police officers' spirit, they do not have any toilet in the premises! Yes our police officers use public toilets! There is only one room for all the officers to take their bath!

Majority of these officers have to take public transportation to and from work. About 60 percent of all the Police officers in the country DONOT carry weapons! How do we intent to stop the incessant armed robberies in our country if we do not have a well equipped and well prepared police officers?

The salaries of these officers are nothing to write home about! We met a sergeant in the Ghana Police Service at Cape Coast who have served a total of 21 years! He claims his salary is1.7 million cedis a month! Under $120 dollars a month! He has a wife and four children!

Majority of the officers we spoke with appealed to the new government to do something about their salaries and service conditions! The Ghana Police Service personnel are not unionised per the constitution of Ghana. Any complaining officer or officers about service conditions are summarily dismissed. They do not have any recourse to address their problems!

The incoming administration of Attah Mills have promised to take a look at the service conditions of our Police men and women and we hope he will do so urgently if we are serious about stopping the armed robbery and the dangerous crime wave in our dear country.