The Member of Parliament for Manhyia North Collins Owusu Amankwah is appealing to the Ghana Police Service to consider more women during recruitment.
According to the MP, women form a minute 6% of the Ghana Police Service, a development he describes as unacceptable.
In a contribution to the 2018 budget debate in parliament, the vice chairman for the committee on Defence and Interior charged the police administration to make a conscious effort towards changing the women to men ratio in the service.
“Mr. Speaker, permit me to cease this opportunity to make a passionate appeal to the Ghana police service to consider more women in the service as the current picture depicts that we have less than 6 percent women in the service,” he said.
Amankwah went on to laud government’s initiatives aimed at retooling the security services in the 2018 budget. This he believes will enable especially the police service to adequately protect lives and properties.
”Mr. Speaker the current government has resolved to provide adequate resources to ensure that the security services are able to discharge their responsibilities. Mr. Speaker, it is in line with the vision that the new budget made it clear in 2018 the Ghana police service will improve police people ratio by recruiting additional 4,000 personnel. Mr. Speaker the question is, do we have enough police officers in this country? I’m afraid the answer is no.”
Touching on the state of security or otherwise in the country given the lawless activities of some government affiliated youth groups, the Manyia North lawmaker assured the country is safe.
He explained the isolated cases of NPP vigilante group attacking public installations and officers cannot be the basis for anyone to say the country is in a state of insecurity.
“I want to state it unequivocally without shred of doubt that Mr. Speaker, Ghana is safe. Mr. Speaker Ghana is pretty safe. Mr. Speaker the security services are working to ensure total sanity in the system. Yes I agree that one or two incidents have happened which some people have described as an act of vigilantism but Mr. Speaker that cannot be used as the yardstick to imply that Ghana is not safe.”
The debate on the 2018 budget is expected to end today in parliament as leadership takes its turn.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM/Ibrahim Alhassan
