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Following the shooting of the two police officers by suspected criminals on the Kasoa-Accra road, the Interior Minister, Mr Ambrose Dery, has directed that all police officers on traffic and snap check duties should be armed.

Sergeant Michael Dzamesi and Lance Corporal Mohammed Awal, both with the Kasoa Motor  Traffic  and  Transport Department (MTTD), were shot by occupants of a vehicle which was allegedly involved in reckless driving but refused to stop when the two policemen signalled them to do so.

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Mr Dery made this known when he joined a delegation of top police officers and some government officials to commiserate with families of the police officers at Dr Jesus and Kakraba, near Kasoa, in the Central Region.

The interior minister said the measure was to enable the police to exercise their right of self defence.

"It has not been the practice of personnel of the Ghana Police Service to be armed while on such duties but this will change, effective today.

“Because of the experience of Sergeant Dzamesi and Lance Corporal Awal the policy of not arming the police on traffic duties has changed.  

From now on, we will insist that police on traffic duties are armed," Mr Dery said.

The interior minister explained that if the two police officers, who were shot by the suspected criminals, were appropriately equipped and protected, they could have averted the unfortunate incident which took place last Wednesday.

Additionally, Mr Dery said the police would also be required to wear protective gears to ensure they were better protected.

Protective gears

The protective gears, he said, would include helmets, vests as body protectors and safety boots.

"Police officers in Ghana claim it is uncomfortable to wear the gears but when they are on United Nations (UN) peacekeeping duties they wear the gears," he said and directed the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, to insist that policemen on traffic and snap check duties wear protective gears by enforcing the policy.

With the protective gears, he said, police personnel would be well prepared to fight violent crimes and criminals who were as callous and dubious as the suspects who were encountered by Sergeant Dzamesi and Lance Corporal Awal.

"We are inspired by the death of Lance Corporal Awal and Sergeant Dzamesi and we shall ensure that the peace and security of this country, regardless of the dubious characters, is intact.

We will ensure that such dubious characters are not able to hold the nation to ransom.

We will make sure we nip in the bud all those engaging in criminal activities," Mr Dery said.

On behalf of the government, he presented GH¢10,000 to each family of the two deceased policemen.

Bounty

The IGP, after consoling the families, said that the police administration had placed a bounty of  GH¢10,000 on the head of the main suspect, who was alleged to have shot the two policemen, Eric Kwesi Duah

"We will give anyone who offers information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect GH¢10,000,” Mr Oppong-Boanuh said.

He assured the families that the police would go all out to bring the perpetrators to book and ensure that justice was delivered.

The acting IGP said the two policemen died as heroes and would be remembered by the Ghana Police Service, as they died in line of duty as police officers.

Sergeant Dzamesi was survived by a wife and five children, while L/Cpl Awal was survived by two wives, Patience and Farida, and four children.

The delegation included the Director General of Welfare of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr George Dampare; the Director General of MTTD, COP Mr Christian Tetteh Yohonu; the Member of Parliament for Kasoa, Ms Hawa Koomson; the Municipal Chief Executive of Kasoa, Mr Michel Asuman, and the Central Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr Paul Awuni.

They visited the crime scene at Apra, near Buduburam, and the Kasoa Police Station, before calling on the bereaved families.