Police Visibility Unit not replacement for patrols

The police administration has stated that its newly-born ‘baby’ – the Police Visibility and Accessibility Patrol Department – is not a replacement for the traditional police patrols that have existed over the years.

It explained that the department was playing a complementary role in patrol activities, albeit on a wider scale.

The Director-General (administration) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP)  Mrs Rose Bio Atinga, who made this known at the inauguration of the Ashanti regional office of the department in Kumasi yesterday, stated that police accessibility and visibility were crucial in preventing crime.

“They are seen by the community and are the ones who make crucial decisions on the spot when any nasty situation arises,” she said.

COP Atinga, therefore, called on the public to offer the necessary information and other support to the department to enable it to deliver to expectation.

The police administration had posted 300 personnel to the Kumasi office and equipped them with a fleet of vehicles and communication gadgets to facilitate their work.

COP Atinga said crimes were becoming very sophisticated which had pushed the police to adopt a paradigm shift in the way things were done.

Apart from the patrols, the new department would among other things, undertake preliminary investigations into crimes and provide community services.

In a welcome address, the Ashanti regional police commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Augustine Gyening, said the people of Kumasi were happy with the current state where many police personnel were found all over the metropolis, overseeing security both day and night.

The decision to put more personnel in town, he noted, had contributed immensely to reducing crime in the metropolis, pointing out that even though violent crime, such as  armed robbery, had gone down, that was not to say that crime had been uprooted.

Giving figures to support the extent to which crime fighting was progressing in the region, DCOP Gyaning said over the last 15 months about 39 armed robbers had been arrested and jailed by the courts with sentences ranging between 10 and 90 years.

Besides, 18 other armed robbers have been killed resulting from shoot-outs with the police while three policemen received gunshot wounds.

In attendance were the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, other commissioners of police, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, and the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Mr Kojo Bonsu.

The Asantehene was represented by the Asafohene, Nana Achamfuor Kwame Akowua.

By Kwame Asare Boadu/Daily Graphic/Ghana