The Chief of Dunkwa, Okofrobuor Obeng Nuakoh III, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo-Dampare, to consider reviewing the number of years police personnel stay at a particular duty post.
His appeal comes from his realisation that most police personnel stayed at one place for more than 10 to 15 years, which, he says, is not good for building a good image of the Police Service.
The Dunkwahene, addressing a forum of elders and opinion leaders at his Palace recently, stated that police personnel who had been stationed at a place for long become acquainted with members of the community, including criminals, hence, some of them were no longer effective in the discharge of their duties.
According to him, such situations did not augur well for the image of the personnel in particular, and the Police Service in general.
Nana Nuako stressed the popular refrain that “familiarity breeds contempt,” and, as such, the longer a police officer stayed at one duty post, the more he lost the respect and command over the people in his jurisdiction, as he would have made friends and/or engaged in marital activities.
He suggested that such transfers should not be difficult currently, following adequate provision of logistics by the government to the Police Service to ensure smooth movement of personnel who go on transfer.
The Chief noted that by their training, police officers were to adapt to changes and be seen as peace officers ready to maintain peace and order wherever they find themselves, and not take sides in resolving issues, hence, the appeal to the IGP to help boost the image of the police by addressing the recommended overhauls.
Nana Nuakoh also appealed to the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Assembly to mobilise enough revenue to champion the development of the area.
He urged the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) to put in place stringent measures to plug the loopholes in revenue collection to ensure that the funds do no end up in individual pockets at the expense of development programmes in the area.
The Dunkwahene called upon the Municipal Assembly to embark on a campaign to educate the people on the need to pay their taxes for the development of the area.
Nana Nuakoh also urged his sub-chiefs to remain united, devoid of backbiting, to lobby for development to improve the living standards of their people.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Ebenezer Appiah Forson, thanked the Chief and his elders for the support and advice.
The MCE, however, expressed worry over the actions of scrap dealers in the area, most of who, he noted, were engaged in criminal activities.
MCE Appiah Forson gave the assurance that the Municipal Security Council would deal with anyone who broke the law.
