The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has installed 150 body cameras on the uniforms of some of its personnel as part of measures to ensure police professionalism.
These body cameras are being used by personnel of the Visibility Unit of the service in Accra to enhance investigations.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah Akrofi, said this on the sidelines during a tour of some police stations in Accra by the command led by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.
He was accompanied by the Director-General (DG) of Police Welfare, Commissioner of Police (COP) Habiba Twumasi-Sarpong; D-G Criminal Investigation Department, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Faustina Andoh Kwofie; DG Operations, COP Suraji Fuseni; and COP Dr Sayibu Gariba, Accra Regional Police Commander.
Some of the stations visited were Tesano Divisional, Achimota District, and Mile ‘7’ police stations.
A body camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used by the police to record events in which law enforcement officers are involved.
The team also visited the Achimota Basic School to interact with the teachers and the schoolchildren.
ACP Akrofi mentioned that the devices were used during the by-elections at Assin North in the Central Region and Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, which assisted them during their operations.
She said the Election, Missing Persons, and Cold Case units had also been created by the Police Administration.
“For the cold case unit, it helps personnel review cases and look into new evidence, and at the election unit, the police service engages with political parties on elections, and the missing case unit helps trace missing people, especially children,’’ she added.
ACP Ansah said some of the Police Administration’s interventions to improve welfare include the introduction of regional welfare, the police emergency medical fund, and the police virtual medical center.
To bring policing to the doorsteps of the people, ACP Ansah said seven new regions had been created to enhance visibility.
Dr. Dampare urged personnel to protect the image of the service and help in the Ghana Police Service’s transformation agenda.
He commended the personnel for their dedication to duty and assured them of the Police administration’s continuous support by providing them with logistics and promoting their welfare.
DCOP Kwofie stated in her remarks that to ensure effective operations, crime scene investigations had been centralized.
She said the Police administration was in the process of acquiring more crime kits across the country to help in investigations.
DCOP Kwofie said more personnel had also been trained to help them in their work.
Dr. Gariba commended the IGP and his team for the visit, stating that it would encourage them in their work.
He urged personnel to work hard to ensure the reduction of crime was maintained in the country.
The IGP commended the Police Administration for providing logistics for the personnel in the region and assured them they would be maintained to extend their lifespan.
He urged the personnel to desist from negative attitudes that drag the name of the service into disrepute, adding, “I dislike you when you do things that destroy the sanity of the institution”.
As part of the occasion, Dr. Dampare visited and interacted with personnel who were exposed at the police barracks and schools within the community.
So far, the team has already visited the Amasaman Divisional Police Command, which comprises Kutunse, Pokuase, and Amasaman district police commands.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
