Defence Minister nominee, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has cautioned against the increasing deployment of soldiers to perform police duties.

Speaking during his vetting on Tuesday, January 28, he warned that it could create the impression that the police service is incapable of handling its responsibilities.

According to him, while joint operations between the military and police have been effective, continuous reliance on soldiers for policing functions could foster unnecessary rivalry between the two forces.

“When you push soldiers more and more to perform the functions of the police, if you are not careful, you are painting an impression that suggests that the police are incapable of doing what they have to do. That implicitly can generate unnecessary rivalry, which may manifest later as the clashes that we may be seeing,” he warned.

To strengthen inter-agency cooperation, Dr Boamah proposed enhanced joint training programmes, recreational activities, and increased physical training sessions between the two forces.

He believes that fostering better interaction beyond just operations will help minimise tensions and reduce conflicts between security personnel.