Crime in the Accra metropolis is gradually going down, and even as this appears to be refreshing, the Police Administration is not leaving anything to chance.
As part of their strategy to pull the brakes on criminal activities, the police have rolled out a plan to increase their visibility in the metropolis and all the 11 police regions in the country.
Consequently, five new police divisions have been created, while seven old divisions have been re-aligned, within the Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service.
Five new divisions The five new divisions are Cantonments, Airport, Odorkor, Adentan/Abokobi and Amasaman which were created from the Kpeshie, Nima, Kaneshie, Madina and Tesano divisions, respectively.
The seven old divisions with re-aligned constituent districts are Tesano, La-Nkwantanang/ Madina, Kpeshie, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Nima and Ministries.
Police divisions In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Alhassan, said the new divisions bring the total number of police divisions in the country to 49.
He said there were also 199 district stations, with 697 stations and 17 police posts in the country.
He indicated that the move had become necessary following the high population growth, increased economic development and subsequent urbanisation and the creation of new metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the recent past.
Modern policing According to the IGP, it had become imperative to increase police stations in the country in order to bring modern policing to the doorstep of the people.
He emphasised that the Police Administration was relying on the initiative and drive of officers to kick-start the proper functioning of all the 32 new police divisions, districts and stations that had been created throughout the country.
He mentioned East Legon, Anyaa, Sowutuom, Ashaley Botwe, Darkuman and Pokuase among the police stations that had been elevated to district stations in Accra.
Protection Mr Alhassan said the implementation of the visibility policing concept, the Formed Police Unit, the revival of the Marine Police Unit and the public confidence re-affirmation programme were all geared towards protecting the public and bringing policing to the doorstep of the citizenry.
He indicated that the presence of the police in society could not be overemphasised, as their role included giving protection to people involved in all aspects of life.
Under the five newly created divisions, Cantonments encompasses the Osu, La and Cantonments districts, while the Airport Division has the Airport, East Legon and Airport districts, with the Odorkor Division including the New Weija, Anyaa and Sowutuom districts which are newly created.
Amasaman, Adjen-Kotoku (newly created) and Pokuase (newly created) districts.
Tesano Division
Tesano, Achimota Mile 7 and Achimota School districts.
La Nkwantanang Division
Madina and Kwabena districts.
Kpeshie Division
Kpeshie and Teshie districts.
Dansoman Division
Mamprobi, Korle-Bu and Dansoman districts.
Kaneshie Division
Kaneshie and the newly created Darkuman District
Nima Division
Nima, Adabraka and Kotobabi districts.
Ministries Division
Ministries, James Town, Accra Central and Railways districts.
Office facilities The IGP stated that where there were no new office facilities and residential accommodation, police work would be carried out from the existing police facilities.
“Progressively officers shall be expected to use their good initiative and work in collaboration with their regional commanders, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives,” he said.
He appealed to traditional rulers, stakeholders and corporate bodies to assist the police to acquire appropriate infrastructure and logistics for their headquarters.
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