As the city’s top shopping malls prepare for the Christmas and New Year season, the Formed Police Unit (FPU) of the Ghana Police Service has moved in to beef up security as part of a national operational campaign to ensure law and order at major public installation during the period.

Crack teams from the elite unit have been assigned to West Hills Mall, Ghana’s biggest shopping centre, Achimota Retail Centre, the city’s latest mall and Accra Mall Ghana’s premiere shopping mall, to reinforce existing security and ensure the personal safety of shoppers and visitors during the season.

Men of the FPU are known to be highly disciplined and characteristically move swiftly to contain, demobilize, neutralize and arrest disorderly situations and troublemakers. They will be backed with surveillance at all the three locations by plain-clothed operatives.

To harmonize the seasonal security strategies with existing security regimes at the shopping centres, a team led by the Commander of the FPU, Chief Superintendent Naa Yakubu, conducted site tours, inspected security modules and met with the Board Chairman, Mr. Kofi Sekyere and Management of West Hills Mall and Achimota Retail Centre during the week.

Security and personal safety have featured high on the agenda of the Board as well as that of the Police Service as it is anticipated that several thousands of shoppers, revellers and holiday-makers will swarm into West Hills Mall at New Weija in Accra West, Achimota Retail Centre at Dome and Accra Mall at Tetteh Quarshie as the Christmas season approaches.

After inspecting the security systems for Achimota and West Hills – comprising high-tech electronic surveillance and monitoring systems and teams of ground security personnel – suitable locations were selected for pitching camps personnel of FPU.

“This operation is part of a wider national campaign to ensure law and order across the country. We (FPU personnel) are moving in to augment your security system and I can assure you that your shops, the shoppers and the visitors will enjoy a very safe, peaceful and trouble-free Christmas festivities this season,” Chief Supt. Naa Yakubu assured the Board Chairman after observing the installed security system of the malls.

Beginning this week, the FPU is providing 24-hour armed security coverage every day for West Hills Mall, Achimota Retail Centre and Accra Mall during the yuletide and, according to Commander Yakubu, there are plans to review the unit’s assignment at the malls into a permanent operation for the FPU.

Board Chairman, Mr. Kofi Sekyere thanked the FPU for its active support in the maintenance of security and personal safety at the shopping centres and said the Board places much premium on its partnership with the Police Service and especially with the Formed Police Unit.

“I am personally happy with the level of support and collaboration we have had with the Police Service in general, the local Police Stations and the FPU and the indications are that our partnership will grow stronger with time to guarantee a superb atmosphere not just for our shopping centres but for the benefit of those who conduct business in them, our shoppers and even the communities that flank these facilities,” said Mr. Sekyere.