Accra, June 4, GNA - The Flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that under his presidency, priority would be given to the security of the nation and its citizens. Nana Akufo-Addo, who was addressing the New York and New Jersey branches of the NPP in Jersey City last Sunday as part of his tour of North America, said: "I am going to give greater priority to ministries that are critical to the survival of the nation and the Interior Ministry is one of them."

He said he was opposed to the traditional ways of resource allocation where we look at the overall national budget available and divide it piecemeal amongst all ministries, agencies and departments. A statement from the NPP in Accra quoted him as saying the current government had transformed the image of the Police Service tremendously.

According to him, when the NPP came into office, there were just about 100 serviceable vehicles available to the Police Service of which about one-third was at the headquarters.

"Under those circumstances, it was quite hazardous for the police to perform its duties."

Nana Akufo-Addo said the NPP had increased the number of vehicles available to the Police Service to about 1,000 and even so, this was not enough and that more resources needed to be allocated to that critical area of national development.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the government had also increased the number of police from 15,000 to 25,000, but this was still woefully inadequate considering the ratio of the number of Ghanaians to the number of policemen.

"We shall have to increase the number of police personnel tremendously if the service is to make any meaningful impact as far as the security of the nation and its citizens is concerned," he said. "Community policing is one area that we shall consider improving, as a way of giving critical support to regular policing," he added. Nana Akufo-Addo said he is determined to give critical support to areas of national life that would give Ghanaians a sense of hope and security, adding that, unless this was done, it would be difficult to rekindle the spirit of patriotism in the people which he believed was critical in the next stage of Ghana's development if it was to make the leap from third world to first world status.

"I reject the mediocre projection of a middle income status" he said. "We are capable of moving from third world status to first world status. Others have done it and we are capable of doing it". The Presidential candidate of the NPP said in seeking to galvanise Ghanaians for this mission, there was not going to be separate rules for certain sections of the society while some so-called elite or privileged class operated under different set of rules.

"We are committed to creating a society that is just, humane and equitable" he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said he was a leader who was neither looking for fame nor riches. "God willing, my family has both of these. I am in this because I have a genuine commitment to the development of our country, where we shall become a twenty-first century country in the true sense of the word."