In June 2021, the Ghana Police Service ordered all banks to provide armoured vehicles for transporting cash or risk losing the use of police escort.
The order was given following an unarmoured cash-in-transit van attack resulting in the death of a police officer and a hawker in Accra.
In broad day light, armed robbers attacked the bullion van, shot at the vehicle, killed the police escort and made away with an unspecified amount of money.
After the robbery, the police and the Association of Bankers agreed to phase out unarmoured bullion vans by 2023.
Thankfully, that agreement has been fulfilled with Ghana beginning to assemble Cash-In-Transit (CIT) armoured vehicles to make the transportation of bulk money by banks in the country, robust, and secure against robbery attacks.
This has become possible through a collaborative effort between DIHOC- KENAKI Manufacturing Company Limited (DIKMAC) and the military under its commercial private entity, the Defence Industries Holding Limited of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Already, the joint venture initiative is beginning to bear fruit with the outdooring of the first four vehicles fitted at the armoured vehicle assembling plant at Burma Camp in Accra and ready to be deployed in the country.
Before then, on Wednesday, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inspected the vehicles.
We at the Ghanaian Times commend the joint venture for coming through with armoured vehicles at the time that armed robbers are becoming sophisticated and daring in their attacks.
The fact that these vehicles are being assembled here in Ghana is highly commendable as it is going to be made cheaper for the banks to acquire.
We are excited that as a country, we are on the path of finding solution to the bullion van attacks by armed robbers that would also go a long way to protect lives of police escorts, bank workers and prevent the stealing of cash from the bullion vans.
Indeed, the local assembly would also allow the joint venture to produce for both the West African market as well as other parts of the continent.
We are hopeful that the company would also produce for use by the Armed Forces in the protection of the country at large.
We urge the government and the banks to patronise the vehicles so that the joint venture can go into large scale assembling of the armoured vehicles for export to other countries and become profitable to continue to be in business.
Today, across the Western African region, it is becoming increasingly important for countries to arm their defence forces with modern armaments to be able to withstand any aggression from insurgents and terrorists.
It is therefore a plus for Ghana to have such a facility at this time to support the protection of life and property
