Private Security Personnel to Wear Prescribed Uniforms

By Anita Nyarko-Yirenkyi

The Private Security Operations Directorate (PSOD) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has introduced prescribed uniforms for all private security personnel in the country.

The Police Administration and the Association of Private Security Organisation Ghana have decided that security personnel in the country from next week should wear three approved uniforms.

The new uniforms that would have logos of private security companies embossed on them, are white top or long sleeves shirts over a pair of ash khaki trousers with white strips on both side of trousers, cream long and short sleeve shirts over a pair of khaki trousers with cream strips on both sides and mauve long and short sleeves shirts over mauve trousers with strips on both sides with name tags.

The Director-General of PSOD, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Francis Aboagye-Nyarko, disclosed these at a forum in Accra yesterday, stating that the initiative would help promote security and differentiate uniforms worn by personnel of state security agencies from those of private security.

The forum, which brought together members of APSOG and other security agencies, was aimed at discussing issues pertaining to the private security sector.

ACP Aboagye-Nyarko gave a seven-day ultimatum to private security companies to ensure that their personnel wear the new uniforms.

He warned that the police would arrest and prosecute all private security personnel, who would flout the order to serve as deterrent to others.

ACP Aboagye-Nyarko said the Ghana Police Service would soon train and give licence to all private security personnel to ensure proper database on them, for effective monitoring of their operations.

He stressed the need to certify private security companies and their personnel to prevent their proliferation in the country.

ACP Aboagye-Nyarko asked the public to desist from engaging the services of unlicensed private security firms, adding that offenders would be prosecuted.

The Assistant Director of Private Security at the Ministry of The Interior, Mr Shadrack Mensah, said there were currently 265 licensed private security organisations in the country.

He urged the organisations to comply with the rules and regulations governing the management of private security companies, and to give regular training to their personnel.

Mr Mensah said "we are growing as a country, and criminal activities are also increasing, and we have to prepare the security personnel to be able to assist in crime prevention.

The Chairman for APSOG, Captain (Rtd) Anthony Acquah, said the association since it was formed 20 years ago, has helped in preventing crime.

He expressed worry that personnel of private security firms that do not belong to the association use uniforms similar to that of the state security agencies, whiles others use unauthorised weapons.

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