Make use of donated bicycles abandoned at Central Warehouse - Adib Saani to IGP

• Adib Saani has called for a Bicycle Patrol in communities

• He charged the IGP to put to use some abandoned bikes at the Central Warehouse

• The Security Analyst added that bike patrol will deepen the relationship between individuals and the police



The

Read full articleacting Inspector-General of Police, Goerge Akuffo Dampare, has been charged to roll out a Bicycle Patrol Unit in communities to fight crimes in communities, the exercise will ensure that police officers fight crime in a more interactive manner.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Security Analyst, Adib Saani, revealed that there are some abandoned bicycles that have been left to rot at the Central Warehouse of the Ghana Police Service.

According to him, the bikes which were donated by the US Embassy and some other donors have not been put to use. He added that most of the bikes have currently in a deplorable state.

He explained that bike patrols in communities by police officers will deepen the relationship between the citizenry and the Ghana Police Service to encourage individuals to inform them of any suspicious activities in their area.

He said: " I am excited that the IGP has instituted the Horse Patrol Unit. I hope that it goes beyond the horses to the use of bicycles which were donated to the police that have been left to rot. If we are able to fix these bikes and get some new ones and get officers to ride in our communities, knock on our doors at home and offices to ask us what our main security challenge is and what they can do to improve their services. It is a service delivery institution, not a force. They are supposed to provide us services and it's our right to be protected as citizens. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the security of our communities by cooperating with the police by reporting happenings."

His call follows the launch of a Horse Patrol Operations in the country as part of crime detection and prevention by the IGP on August 12, 2021.

Mr Adib speaking on the state of the abandoned bikes added that: “The US Embassy in the past donated some bicycles, we had some other donors. At a point there was a follow up on what has happened to the bikes but believe it or not, they are at the Central Warehouse of the Ghana Police Service. Most of them have deflated tires, others, the seats are broken, they are minor fixes that are needed to get them working. Unfortunately, with our issue of maintenance culture, we have left them to rot. If we get them on, it will help rather than just having police officers driving cars in our communities. They might be near us yet far away; they need to come down to our level.

Adib Saani also admonished the IGP to increase police patrol in a time where criminal activities are on a rise in the country.

Last week, an international journalist with Muslim TV (MTA International), Taalay Ahmed, was murdered on the Tamale-Buipe Road in a robbery attack.

“Our response time to crime scenes is very poor, by the time the police get there, the criminals might have been done with their activity and left long ago. We need to make our response faster, it will disincentive some criminals in perpetrating crimes," Mr Saani told GhanaWeb.