IGP interacts with marine police

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, has urged personnel of the Marine Police Unit to be proactive and ensure that criminal activities along the coast of Ghana are reduced.

He indicated that the Police Service planned to recruit 30 more policemen to augment the personnel of the Marine Unit.

Currently, there are 60 marine police operatives.

The IGP gave the advice when he interacted with personnel of the Marine Police Unit in Tema, Ada and Senchi to familiarise himself with their operations.

The Marine Police 

The marine policing concept  was relaunched by the Vice-President , Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur, on June 2, 2013 as part of a three-arm unit, namely, marine, railway and ports operations.

In Ada, the marine police personnel took the IGP and other top police officers on a ride on one of their boats.

Senchi

The entourage later moved to Senchi, where Captain Kenneth Tamawu, in charge of one of the two ferries, took the police through the operations of the ferry, which is facilitating the movement of people to and from Senchi and Akrade as a result of the closure of the Adomi Bridge which is under construction.

In Tema 

The IGP also visited the head office of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Tema.

The Director-General of the GPHA, Mr Richard Aburi-Yinga Anamoo, who received the IGP and his entourage, noted that security was a priority for the efficient and effective operation of the ports.

He commended the marine police for the good job they had been doing, adding, "We have vessels at our ports now that are not coming to Ghana but they prefer to wait here before they take their turn at the ports in neighbouring countries because they believe our ports are safe."

He pleaded with the Police Administration to consider extending the service hours of the marine police into the night, as most of the criminal activities at the ports were carried out in the night.

The Tema Marine Police Commander, Superintendent of police Mr Antwi Ababio, briefing the IGP, said the personnel were dispatched to patrol the beaches and landing sites along the coast with the aim of arresting vessels engaged in unregulated fishing.

He said on March 12, 2014, two vessels were intercepted with generators, bulbs and electrical trial wires which were being used for illegal fishing.