Police Service handicapped

The Police Service says its efforts to provide adequate security for parliamentarians is hampered by the lack of personnel.

The Director General of Police Operations, DCOP Patrick Timbilla said his outfit has identified three areas in Accra with high concentration of MP’s and has increased patrols to those areas.

He said areas such as Jogies in Agyirigano, Manet Villa at Spintex and the Sakumono Estates have received heightened protection in light of recent attacks on some MPs there.

Over the past few weeks some MPs including the MP for Lawra Nandom, Benjamin Kumbuor and MP for Krowor Abraham Nii Odai Laryea have been attacked by armed men. DCOP Patrick Timbilla says though the service would like to give more protection to the MPs, the lack of personnel makes it impossible.

He said the police-citizenry ratio is an acute one; 1:1500, and said providing 200 policemen for MPs would be a huge draw on the current strengths of the Service.

He says despite the difficulties, the service is doing all it can to beef up security for the MPs. The Director General of Police Operations also noted that the service is treating the death threats on the chairman of parliament’s public accounts committee Samuel Sallas Mensah with utmost seriousness.