The Ashanti Business Owners Association (ABOA) has donated GH¢200,000 towards the construction of temporary offices for police personnel whose existing offices at the Kumasi Central Police Station have been earmarked for demolition.
The temporary facility forms part of preparations for the construction of a modern police office complex estimated to cost GH¢4.8 million.
The proposed complex will replace nine pre-colonial police offices at the Central Police Station and comprise six specialised holding cells and an executive conference room.
The donation was made in response to an appeal by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for support towards the project.
The Executive Secretary of ABOA, Mr Charles Kusi Appiah Kubi, said the association considered security a critical foundation for development and economic growth.
He said a secure environment was essential for businesses to operate and invest with confidence, adding that the government could not undertake all development projects alone.
He said ABOA’s contribution of GH¢200,000 was, therefore, aimed at supporting efforts to improve security infrastructure in the metropolis.
Receiving the donation at a ceremony in Kumasi last Friday, the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, said the contribution had brought the total amount mobilised so far for the temporary facility to GH¢410,000.
He said the demolition of the nine old offices and the groundbreaking for the new complex would begin once the Assembly raised the remaining GH¢340,000 required to complete the temporary operational facility.
Mr Boadi disclosed that the government had committed GH¢4.8 million towards the construction of the proposed state-of-the-art police office complex.
He said the project, when completed, would help address the severe infrastructure deficit confronting the Ghana Police Service in the Kumasi Central area, ease overcrowding in cells and modernise security operations across the metropolis.
According to him, rapid urban growth in Kumasi had placed considerable pressure on existing law enforcement infrastructure and resources.
“As population increases, the demands on the police also increase. To properly manage and prevent crime in our metropolis, we must put the appropriate infrastructure in place,” he said.
The KMA boss said the existing facilities lacked designated holding areas for women and juveniles, resulting in the Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) transporting suspects to cells at Sofoline and Asokwa.
He said the situation had contributed to congestion and created challenges in the proper management of suspects in custody.
Mr Boadi explained that the proposed six-cell facility would provide for the segregation of suspects based on gender, age and the severity of offences.
He said the arrangement would ensure proper sanitary conditions for women and prevent minor offenders from being held together with hardened criminals.
“We cannot continue living in these conditions, especially when these cells were provided for us in the pre-colonial era,” he said.
“When cells become overcrowded, the rights of suspects in custody are infringed upon. As a state, we need to provide the appropriate infrastructure so that the rights of suspects are upheld.”
Mr Boadi also proposed the establishment of a dedicated Kumasi Metropolitan Police unit, modelled on London’s urban policing framework, to focus specifically on policing and managing the city.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander, ACP Francis Kouame Somian, commended the KMA for the initiative and appealed to other organisations and individuals to support efforts to provide befitting offices and facilities for police personnel.
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