Ghana’s police chief has ordered banks to provide armoured vehicles for transporting cash or risk losing the use of police escorts.
The move follows an attack on an unarmoured cash-in-transit van on Monday that resulted in the death of a police officer and a hawker in the capital, Accra.
The armed robbers got away with an unspecified amount of money.
Last year, the Association of Bankers in Ghana agreed to phase in armoured bullion vans by 2023.
But James Oppong-Boanuh, the inspector general of police, said banks now had until the end of the month to comply.
The central bank had said in September that it was considering using helicopters to transport cash because of frequent attacks on cash-in-transit vans.
Below is a full statement by the IGP after the meeting
IGP MEETS BANK OF GHANA, ASSOCIATION OF BANKERS
1.The Inspector–General of Police (IGP),Mr. James Oppong–Boanuh has met 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 further solutions to minimize the risks associated with moving cash in the country.
2.The meeting, which was also attended by the Second Deputy Governor, Mrs Elsie Addo Awadzi, Directors of BoG and members of the Police Management Board, reiterated that commercial banks will implement the use of standardized 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.
3.The meeting 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.
4.The Police Administration, therefore, assures its officers and the general public of the Administration’s commitment to protecting the lives of police officers in the discharge of their constitutionally mandated duty of maintaining law and order.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com
