Oil marketing company Star Oil has donated GH¢1 million to support the construction of a new facility for the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. The new facility, estimated at GH¢11 million, is expected to improve the CID’s investigative and operational functions when completed.

The project will provide office accommodation, interrogation rooms, and detention facilities for the department.

Chief Executive Officer of Star Oil, Philip Tieku, said the donation was in recognition of the CID's contribution to addressing security challenges facing the company's nationwide operations. He noted how the Department's work has helped Star Oil improve security monitoring at its more than 280 locations across the country, explaining that this has reduced the need for physical security personnel at some lower-risk stations.

"The CID has been very supportive in that effort. They've assisted us in almost every situation that comes up, and we've gotten to the point where that collaboration has allowed us to operate a remote security monitoring system supported by the CID," he said.

Mr. Tieku added that the company considered it important to support the department's infrastructure needs, having benefited from its services over the years.

Receiving the donation, Director-General of the CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, said the new facility would address longstanding challenges associated with the department's lack of adequate detention space at its headquarters. She explained that the department often has to rely on other police stations for the detention and interrogation of arrested persons, placing additional pressure on those facilities.

"For a while now, we've not had that facility within this headquarters, and it is also a matter of concern for us. We have to be sending people to other stations, and those stations are also burdened," she said.

The contractor for the project, David Mawuli of Delta Plus, said the facility will include eight detention cells for male and female suspects, as well as a separate cell for juveniles. The building will also accommodate interrogation rooms, investigation offices, and IT facilities, with a cafeteria planned for the top floor.

Construction is expected to take 12 months, provided the required resources are made available.