President Akufo-Addo’s quest to retool the various security agencies in the country received a major boost yesterday.
This was when he presented a fleet of vehicles including pick-up vehicles, SUVs, riot patrol vans, crime scene vans, troop carriers, ambulances and buses to the Ghana Police Service (GPS).
In a brief remark at the presentation ceremony held at the forecourt of the police headquarters in Accra, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the decision to resource the GPS to uplift its logistical base which stood at about 458 serviceable cars when his administration took office, was to ensure that the police could be more effective in their operations.
“We know how important a well resourced and efficient police service is to the maintenance of peace and order in our nation. So over these three years, including today, we have been able to bring 676 additional vehicles to the GPS,” he said.
He therefore charged the GPS to ensure that the vehicles were properly maintained.
“I need not remind the leadership of the police about the importance of maintenance; it is a concept that we do uphold very well in our country and it is important that from now on, we begin to develop a culture of maintenance of our assets,” was how he put it.
The vehicles are a gift from the Chinese government to the government and people of Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo could not but thank the Chinese government for its support, saying “China has proven to be a very strong and reliable friend of our nation and the various initiatives of the Chinese Ambassador are initiatives that we value very much.”
On his part, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi Ting Wang noted that even though Ghana was the safest country in the whole of West Africa and perhaps the whole of Africa, there still remained the need to safeguard the territorial integrity of the nation.
“I believe that the vehicles will play an important role in fighting crimes and will support the protecting of both the Ghanaian people and foreign investors,” Ambassador Wang said.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent