Accra, Aug. 12, GNA - Vice President John Mahama on Wednesday praised the Police administration for its stellar performance in minimising the spate of armed robberies and drug related crimes in the country.

He said the Mills administration appreciated the fight against armed robbery and narcotics and attributed the crack down to improved efficiency of the service.

Vice President Mahama made the remarks in Accra, during his maiden visit to the Police Headquarters as Chairman of the Police Council in Accra, where he interacted with the officers and men of the service. In a brief remark before the Council meeting, which was held behind closed doors, he said government intended to re-tool the service with modern gadgets to enable the personnel to carry out their policing roles more successfully.

He said government held the view that bringing about greater efficiency in the Police did not hinge only on recruiting more personnel, but offering them the requisite skills to be able to keep their guard.

In this regard, a major focus of the Mills administration, he said, would be to equip the police to apply modern technology to their art so as to deal especially with the menace posed by armed bandits and destroying networks of narcotic operators. Government also intends to focus on the welfare of the personnel to boost their morale.

The Police Council, which is a creation of Ghana's Constitution, is charged with designing effective policies for the service to play its role as guardian of national security.