The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, on Tuesday held a crunch meeting with the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison, Executives of the Ghana Association of Bankers, and Managing Directors of banks in Ghana to discuss ways to protect personnel who cart currencies for the banks.
The meeting was held just a day after the fatal attack on a bullion van at a suburb of Accra.
Discussions centred on finding solutions to minimise the risks associated with moving cash in the country, according to a statement from the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service.
The meeting was also attended by the Second Deputy Governor, Mrs Elsie Addo Awadzi, Directors of BoG and members of the Police Management Board, and stressed that “commercial banks will implement the use of standardised equipment for specie and Cash in Transit (CIT) services by 30th June 2021. This will include services outsourced by the banks to any company that performs CIT duties,” the statement signed by Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, Director of Police Public Affairs.
Armed robbers on Monday, June 14 2021 attacked a bullion van which was on its daily sales collection and started shooting sporadically killing the policeman on board the vehicle and another person.
The incident happened at Adedenkpo, a suburb in the Greater Accra Region, in broad daylight.
The meeting between the IGP, the BoG and members of the Bankers Association also discussed other immediate, medium and long term measures for banks to operate in safe and secured environments.
Matters discussed included protective gear for police officers on bank security duties, security background assessment of staff used for cash duties, security of vaults and banking premises, among others.
The Police Administration, therefore, assures its officers and the general public of the Administration’s commitment to protect the lives of police officers in the discharge of their constitutionally mandated duty of maintaining law and order.
