The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong is confident the practice of keeping retired police officers on contract will soon be phased out by the government.
The practice has been identified by some analysts and the Minority in Parliament as one of the factors that account for the low morale in the Police Service.
This they say has a bearing on the quality of policing in the country amid concerns about the rising cases of violent crime.
Speaking on Citi FM/TV’s current affairs programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, June 19, 2021, Mr. Acheampong, who chaired the Defence and Interior Committee in the previous Parliament, said doing away with the practice is part of a broader scheme to reform the police service.
“By taking care of the welfare of the operatives, you are ensuring that indeed you are looking at the subject from a wider perspective. I am just a representative of the government, but I know that this canker of contracting will change soon.”
Recent crimes
Two bullion vans were attacked by robbers at two different places this week. One occurred at Jamestown in Accra, while the other one took place near Gomoa Dominase in the Central Region.
Two persons –a police officer and a trader—lost their lives in the robbery attack at Jamestown while an unspecified amount of money was stolen by the robbers.
With the incident that occurred in the Central Region, the bullion van crew managed to escape the attack unhurt.
There have been other cases of robberies and killings reported in other parts of the country.
Some persons have suggested that the bullion van attacks and other daylight robberies recorded in the country in recent times show a failure on the part of the country’s security agencies.