Police Officers Sleep In Hotels

Senior Police officers posted to the Ashanti region for services are compelled to sleep in hotels due to lack of decent accommodation to house them, Daily Guide has learnt. In the same vein, most senior police officers on official duties and transit in the region are also forced to lodge in hotels because of the non-availability of decent shelter. The pathetic situation is also not different in the peripheral districts as police officers posted to such places are enforced to pay their own rent or live with friends and relatives due to lack of housing. The Ashanti regional police commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, disclosed this gloomy situation in an interview with DAILY GUIDE during the official visit of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Paul Tawiah Quaye. He explained that apart from the situation being pitiable, it was having a toll on the meager financial resources of his outfit. According to him, the development of inadequate or incommensurate personnel in the region was the outcome of lack of accommodation to house recruited personnel. Following this, DCOP Timbillah pointed out that in most of the district stations in the metropolis, the number of females outweighs the duties available, whereas their male counterparts perform 12 hours or more guard duties including operations outside the region. To address the accommodation problem of senior police officers, the regional police chief advocated that regional commanders be required to provide inputs regarding accommodation before such postings are done. DCOP Timbillah noted that though government and the Police Administration are addressing the issue of vehicles, the region needs vehicles for centralized patrols in Kumasi and other districts in the region. Stressing that the frequent demand for fuel allocation in Kumasi due to its strategic positioning, was affecting his outfit�s demand, the regional commander appealed for increment in fuel allocation given to the police in the region. In view of the fact that professionalism, discipline and sound community-based partnership was key for effective policing, DCOP Timbillah announced that a campaign dubbed �Help the Police to Help You� has been launched. He revealed that the programme will be executed in five phases in areas comprising meeting with stakeholders, staging a walk, cleaning up campaign, commissioning a police hot line and educating the public on crime, supported by musical show. DCOP Timbillah indicated that due to the visionary leadership of the Police Administration and government, morale of officers in the region was at an all time high.He made known that with the mutual support and cooperation of the military and other security agencies, crime management in the region was under control.