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BUREAU OF PUBLIC SAFETY

P. O. Box SR 356, Spintex Road, Tema, Ghana. Tel: +233-30-330-9388; 233-26-647-0386, +233-24-281-9018
Email:info@ghanasafety.com:: www.ghanasafety.com
1st Sept., 2019
TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES

INTERIOR MINISTER AND IGP MUST BE CALLED TO ORDER

The Bureau of Public Safety is calling on the Police Council, chaired by the Vice
President of the Republic, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and
Interior to immediately intervene and halt an announced adhoc measure by the Interior
Minister and the IGP, to immediately arm all personnel of the Motor Traffic and
Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, until such time that demands
(1-3) as stated below are met.

The Bureau appreciates the need to take immediate, definite and bold steps to ensure the
safety of Police personnel in the wake of recent deaths of officers in the line of duty.
However, providing arms and ammunition to all MTTD personnel without first equipping
them with the requisite soft skills and also educating or informing citizens about police
expectations and the potential repercussions that may accrue from ignoring them will
only aggravate an already conflictive interaction between police and citizens. The Bureau
therefore calls for a holistic intervention to prevent further police-citizen encounters from
deteriorating into conflictive interactions.

Precedent to the immediate arming of MTTD personnel, the Bureau demands that the
Police Administration institutes the following:

1. Develop and strictly apply Standard Operating Procedures for all Police personnel
applying themselves in various circumstances requiring/involving citizen engagements

2. Train and retrain police personnel to develop and apply interpersonal skills, de-
escalating skills, among other soft skills which are equally crucial to preventing or
reducing escalated conflicts that may lead to injuries and loss of lives.

3. Inform and educate citizens about police expectations and the likely repercussions that
may accrue from ignoring them to help reduce incidence of police-civilian escalated
conflicts.

4. All Police personnel, not only MTTD personnel should be equipped with basic
policing equipment such as radio, bullet proof vest, a less lethal tool, and a lethal tool
(pistol).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: DR. EDWARD NARH, HON. KWASI AMOAKO-ATTAH, REV. ENOCH AKWADA, HON. AQUINAS QUANSAH, NANA YAW AKWADA
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BUREAU OF PUBLIC SAFETY
P. O. Box SR 356, Spintex Road, Tema, Ghana. Tel: +233-30-330-9388; 233-26-647-0386, +233-24-281-9018
Email:info@ghanasafety.com:: www.ghanasafety.com

The Bureau, thus contends that arming all members of the Ghana Police Service or
MTTD personnel may be the needful thing to do; but doing so in its current state is a
dangerous recipe for more aggravated conflicts and murders, especially on the civilian
front. This will deteriorate an already deep seated mistrust between police and citizens.

We therefore urge the the Interior Minister, Mr. Ambrose Dery and the Acting Inspector
General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong Boanuh to hasten slowly in their quest to
authorize and arm personnel of the MTTD.

The Bureau of Public Safety however takes the opportunity to extend our deepest
condolences to the families of the two deceased officers Sgt. Micheal Dzamesi, and
Lance Corporal Awal Mohammed who met their untimely deaths while working to
protect citizens and maintain the peace.

—-SIGNED—

Nana Yaw Akwada,



(EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Authorized for Immediate Release Date: 01/09/2019


Media Discussions:

024-281-9018 : Etornam Korda, Research/Advocacy Director 

026-647-0386 : Nana Yaw Akwada, Executive Director

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: DR. EDWARD NARH, HON. KWASI AMOAKO-ATTAH, REV. ENOCH AKWADA, HON. AQUINAS QUANSAH, NANA YAW AKWADA