The Inspector-General of Police (IGP); Paul Quaye, has described as very shameful the practice of police personnel, especially those deployed on motor traffic duties, literally begging for alms on a daily basis. "Such personnel appear not to have any modicum of decency; their desire to make money through fair or foul means has tended to blind them to the gross indignities to which they subject themselves in the full glare of the public," he said. Addressing officers and men of the Accra Regional Police Command yesterday, the IGP hinted that the Police Administration would soon assign "inspection teams" along major routes and any personnel found engaged in those shameful acts would be dealt with accordingly." He said a special service enquiry panel would be constituted to deal expeditiously with all cases of misconduct arising from those illegal activities. The IGP said his administration was committed to improving the sinking corporate image of the Police Service by purging it of undesirable elements. "We cannot afford to continue keeping in our fold personnel who have, by their various nefarious activities, become more of liabilities than assets to the service. "We have, for far too long, paid lip-service to discipline and now it has become a cliché," he said. Mr Quaye noted that serious human rights violations had become the best known "trademark" of some officers and men who flagrantly disregard the basic principles of human rights protection, and the rule of law. He stated his confidence in the capabilities and competence of officers and men of the service but noted that the negative image was the work of some individuals who joined the service with hidden agenda and motives. He said it was ironical that officers and men of the service had always excelled and were mentioned in dispatches in their international peace keeping assignments with the United Nations, African Union and the ECOWAS, but did not do the same at home. Mr Quaye urged the personnel, especially detectives, to sharpen their skills of observation and conduct investigations intelligently led by well informed scientific methods instead of "trial and error". The IGP said the use of local knowledge to combat crime was of paramount importance, stressing that "operating without the benefit of local knowledge may be likened to groping in darkness for a los article". He reminded personnel that policing the capital city of Accra goes with many exacting professional demand and daunting challenges but urged them to take up the challenges in their stride and work assiduously towards ensuring that Accra was safe for all residents. He said even though he was not talking about utopian crime-free society, "we have a constitutional duty to work towards ensuring that individual citizens can go about their legitimate social, economic, political and cultural pursuits of life without fear of attack or other forms of disturbances". The IGP expressed serious concerns about the lack of logistics, including accommodation and vehicles. “Presently, we have a large number of Recruit Constables who have not been properly accommodated since their passing out from training more than a year ago.” He emphasised that personnel cannot be expected to give of their best in performance if they have no decent places to lay their heads when they "fall out" from duty at the end of the day. He gave the assurance that his administration was taking immediate steps to draw up a holistic strategy to address the perennial problems of logistic deficiency. The Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga, said the crime situation in the region had declined considerably due to the adoption of modern methods of policing. She said the police would constantly carry out operations to ensure that the region enjoys adequate peace. Source: Times