Police to make crime prevention main focus — Says Acting IGP

Page 16: Daily Graphic, February 5, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, has stated that crime prevention will be the main focus of her administration.
“The adage that prevention is better than cure can be better appreciated when as police officers, we visualise the repercussions of crime. Crimes such as armed robbery and murder have lifelong traumatic effects on victims,” she said.
Addressing officers and men and women of the Police Headquarters and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra yesterday, Mrs Mills-Robertson agreed that so far, the service had dwelt more on crime detection and apprehension of offenders than on the prevention of crime.
She made it clear that every crime committed was indicative of the failed preventive function of the police.
As a first step in addressing this failure, she said, police patrols within the communities, on the streets and highways, as well as residential and business areas, were to be intensified.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said there was going to be an audit of personnel at the headquarters and other stations throughout the country for excess personnel to be posted for more patrol duties, stressing that, “there is the need to harness all human resources at the disposal of the service and manage these resources most efficiently and effectively”.
The acting IGP, the first woman to ascend that seat since 1893, when the Gold Coast Constabulary was established, said “several other measures will be put in place to improve upon our crime prevention function for it is only when we successfully reduce the commission of crimes that we can maintain and sustain internal peace, maintain law and order and protect life and property”.
She reminded the personnel to cultivate the habit of friendship with and having the co-operation of the public since it was the public they served and to whom they owed their existence.
Touching on the image of the service, the acting IGP conceded that the image of the police had sunk abysmally low over the years and public perception of the service had been negative.
She said the Police Administration was desirous of rebuilding the dented image of the service but it required the concerted effort of all policemen and women.
According to her, a change in attitude towards work was critical to achieving the goals of the service and discharging the responsibilities placed on them.
Mrs Mills-Robertson stated that the public would appreciate the police if the service was able to ensure internal peace, law and order, and protection of life and property through crime prevention.
Mrs Mills-Robertson said lack of supervision had negatively impacted on their performance and been inimical to the drive towards building positive image for the service.
She, therefore, urged all those in supervisory roles not to renege on their responsibilities, “since you will be held accountable for the actions and inaction of your subordinate officers,” saying that “the Police Administration expects you to take charge of the discipline of your subordinates and apply appropriate sanctions where necessary”.
The acting IGP said accommodation was a major challenge confronting the Police Administration, stressing that the leadership of the service was aware of the deplorable conditions under which some of the junior ranks lived and knew of the effects on their health, dignity and performance.
She said efforts would be made to rectify the situation.
On their professional development, Mrs Mills-Robertson gave the assurance that the Police Administration would create equal opportunities for the development of all.