The Ghana Police Service has recruited and trained 5,000 additional officers, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has disclosed.

According to him, this is part of efforts to beef up security and combat crime, in the wake of terrorism attacks in neighbouring countries.

"To further improve internal security, the Ghana Police Service has recruited and trained 5,000 additional officers to put more police in our streets and communities," he said while delivering the 2022 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022.

Addressing the House, Mr Ofori reiterated government's commitment to clamp down on crime and ensure the safety of the citizenry.

"Mr. Speaker, the safety of Ghanaians in the face of complex security threats is a major concern to Government," he stressed.

"We are using a significant amount of resources to ensure that we keep our people and country safe. Considering what is happening in the West African region, it is important that we prioritise national security, and we have.

"Whilst it will not be prudent to disclose the full cost of ensuring the security of this state, let me emphasise that it is significant," he maintained.

As part of efforts to clamp down on terrorism, government has introduced the "See something, Say something" campaign to sensitise the public on activities of terrorists.

To complement this effort, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is implementing an enhanced surveillance programme for the country's air space and international borders through collaboration with other domestic security agencies, Mr Ofori-Atta added.

"We are also aggressively pursuing the Forward Operating Bases (FOB) programme to improve response time and prevent cross border crimes as well as terrorist infiltration," he said.

Source: The Independent Ghana