GH¢5,000 for police informants

The Police Administration has re-activated a reward system for informants who provide valuable information leading to detection of crime.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Paul Quaye, who announced this yesterday during his maiden visit to Tema since taking office, explained that the reward system was to encourage individuals in the various communities to help track down criminals.

Mr Quaye promised cash rewards within the range of GH¢2, OOO and GH¢5, OOO.

He said the quantum of reward would depend on the value of the input as well as the quality and usefulness of the information provided. .

He said criminals lived and committed crimes in the communities and many of them were known to some members of their own localities.

Mr. Quaye, however, cautioned against people turning themselves into “intelligence fabricators,” just to benefit from the reward system.

To discourage that, he said, pieces of information supplied would be checked for their veracity and any person who sought to mislead and waste the time and resources of the police would have themselves to blame for such diversionary tactics.

He expressed concern about the resurgence of robbery and other forms of violent crimes in some cities and towns which he said had a connection with illegal possession of firearms.

In a bid to deal with the situation and to control firearms, Mr Quaye said the police would professionally delve into all cases involving illegal firearms in order to identify the source of supply.

In line with that, he directed that ”flash situation reports in all cases involving the illegal supply of firearms must be transmitted to the Director General (Operations) and the Director-General (Criminal Investigations Department) within 24 hours for further directives.
Mr Quaye further said that firearms registries must also be very painstaking in the registration and transfer of legal firearms and should not consider the process as a mere formality.

Special attention must be paid in the case of weapons of precision, including automatic weapons since these weapons are not only used to commit crimes but are also the tools which criminals use to counteract police operations, thus putting the lives of police officers in serious danger, he stressed.

He, therefore, warned criminals and other persons with criminal intentions that the police will pursue them relentlessly and deal ruthlessly with them if they are found culpable of violent crime.

He underlined the need for maximum cooperation and coordination of activities of all the security institutions to ensure effective exchange of intelligence that would lead to the clampdown on violent crime.

He urged the police to work in close liaison and partnership with the Judiciary and the Attorney-General’s Department in order to bring about the speedy delivery of justice.

Mr Quaye said, “We cannot enforce law and order in the country if we ourselves are indisciplined in the way we relate to the public and in the way we work.”

He, therefore, called on senior officers to enforce the relevant rules of discipline to the letter.

Mr Quaye urged the officers to take immediate steps to beautify their offices and compounds by painting and planting flowers.

Commissioner of Police, Augustine Gyenning, Tema Regional Commander, appealed to the IGP to renovate the Militia House which currently houses one third of police personnel in Tema.

He also called for the completion of police barracks under construction at Ashaiman and Kpone and the provision of a bus to convey personnel to and from work.

Source: Times