The Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare and scores of top police officers have engaged the leadership of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and Liquified Petroleum Gas Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) on recent renewed attacks on some fuel stations.

The meeting was to reassure the OMCs/LPGMCs dealers and owners of some of the security measures adopted to combat the operations of the armed robbers and also solicit the cooperation of the dealers.

The outcome of a meeting obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Tema indicated that the meeting held at the police headquarters was also to inject confidence in OMCs and LPGMCs operators about the ability of the security personnel to deal with the emerging security problem.

The meeting was convened by the police administration in collaboration with the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs) as part of security operational modalities to curb the menace.

Dr Dampare described the meeting as a strategic and normal standard of operation to seek the collaboration and support of relevant stakeholders to address security concerns.

He said the fuel station points were high-risk areas, which required a technical understanding of basic ground rules from operators to assist security personnel in case of any attack and improve their techniques in protecting retail outlets against the sudden surge in robberies.

The IGP encouraged OMCs and LPGMCs to go about their duties with the assurance that they have them covered.

The Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC) Industry Coordinator, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah commended the IGP and the police service for organizing the meeting in a timely manner to facilitate discussions with the OMCs and LPGMCs to assist them in strengthening security at the retail outlets.

Mr Agyemang-Duah explained the operations of AOMCs and LPGMCs, which served as advocacy institutions established to help direct downstream policy, legislation, and regulation and pursue research towards the development of the downstream sector.

He said the group represented the collective interests of the companies involved in oil marketing and petroleum products in Ghana.

The AOMC Industry Coordinator noted that the association also coordinated with the major stakeholders in the industry, which included the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Ghana, the National Petroleum Authority, the Energy Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Other strategic stakeholders it coordinates include the Tema Oil Refinery, the Revenue Agencies Governing Board, the Ghana Standard Authority, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Customs Division of GRA, and the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited.

He noted that the armed robbery attacks on fuel stations threatened the industry and security of the country, and commended the IGP and the police administration for the pro-active measures adopted to combat the challenge.

He assured the IGP and the police administration that OMCs and LPGMCs will cooperate fully and follow all security directives to ensure that “our operational outlets are safe at all times for business to continue”.