Accra, Dec. 23, GNA - The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nana Owusu-Nsiah, on Tuesday reminded demonstrators, especially politicians to be mindful of the Public Order Law to ensure peace on the political front as the country enters the election year.

He said as much as it was the duty of the police to protect demonstrators and politicians to exercise their rights, so equally it was for the police to ensure the protection of lives and property. The IGP, who was interacting with the media said: "I humbly appeal, especially to our politicians that their utterances should be directed towards peace and unity.

"We must remember that we are all one people, so we should not create the impression that we represent parties. We should all help the Government to build a good and prosperous nation for all of us." He quickly added that he was not suggesting that there should be no criticisms: "But we should make our criticisms very constructive and objective which at the end will bring peace and prosperity to our nation."

Nana Owusu-Nsiah said the government has improved the logistic conditions of the Police Service by providing it with vehicles, accommodation and it is undertaking to provide more equipment to enhance the operations of the police.

He said the crime rate in the country has reduced and that several courses were being held for the police to improve their operational capabilities and their relationship with civil society. The IGP said the police service has introduced two additional units which are Community Policing Unit and the Intelligence Unit.

The Community Policing Unit will interact with the public and sensitise the people to get involved in security matters and will visit schools and other institutions to form Neighbourhood Watch Committees. The Intelligence Unit will assist the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) by gathering intelligence for police operations.

With Christmas around the corner and at the time that crime rate shoots up, Nana Owusu-Nsiah assured Ghanaians that the police have increased their operations in town, market places and the highways on a 24-hour bases

He appealed to the media and the public to be partners with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that peace was maintained. 23 Dec. 03