Ensure constant harassment of miscreants in the society - IGP

Kumasi, Jan 6, GNA - Nana Owusu-Nsiah, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has declared total war on miscreants in the society, who do not want to live within the confines of the law, saying, the police would constantly harass and be ruthless with them.

"Those who would not respect the laws to allow people to go about their duties peacefully should be told in plain language that enough is enough".

Nana Owusu-Nsiah was addressing a meeting of Police Divisional and District Commanders in Ashanti and a section of the Media during a visit to Kumasi on Tuesday.

He said if anybody thought that, "he was above the law and could take the law into his own hands, then he would be living in a fool's paradise".

The IGP told the Police Commanders to ensure that the intelligence units of their various areas of command functioned well so that in close collaboration with the military and other security agencies they could carry out effective swoops to flush out the criminals from their hideouts.

He said as long as "we get logistics from the Government and co-operation from the public and other security services, there is no way we will let the nation down".

Nana Owusu-Nsiah pointed out that the Government; the Police and the public including the Media have a constitutional responsibility to ensure peace in the society.

He, therefore, repeated his advice to the Media to exercise the greatest caution in their news reportage, saying that, they should avoid publications that could potentially bring about confusion and insecurity.

The IGP observed that many of the problems and the civil strife in most African countries started from utterances and publications in the Media.

He asked Ghanaian Media Practitioners to "bear in mind that just as the pen could do marvellously when it comes to peace and security so could it cause immeasurable damage and harm if not properly used".

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, Ashanti Regional Police Commander, gave the assurance that the Police were in solid and firm control of the security situation in the Region. He said in conjunction with the Military, they had intensified covert collaborative efforts to uncover most of the criminal syndicates that harassed the people.

The Regional Commander urged the people to have confidence in the Police and volunteer vital information for prompt action. ACP Gyeabour said they were grateful to the Government for providing them with a fleet of brand new cars to enhance their operations and promised that they would ensure that the vehicles were used for the intended purposes.

He re-affirmed their determination to tackle their constitutional mandate with firm commitment, absolute loyalty and professional zeal. He spoke of the residential accommodation problem the Police was facing in the Region, saying, this was hampering efforts at attracting more personnel into the Region.