Members of Parliament (MPs) will with immediate effect be provided with armed police personnel as their bodyguards, the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has disclosed.
“We are going to provide additional 200 police personnel to Parliamentary Protection Unit, to serve as bodyguards for MPs”, Mr Dery told journalists after a closed-door meeting with MPs, in Accra, yesterday.
The expected deployment follows the killing of Ekow Hayford, New Patriotic Party MP for Mfantseman, who was allegedly gunned down by armed robbers, on Friday dawn, on his way back from a party function, in his constituency.
To further beef up the security of MPs, Mr Ambrose Dery, MP, Nabdam, said 800 more personnel would be deployed next year to give 24-hour home protection to the lawmakers and their families.
Though a 275-Member House, Ambrose Dery explained that those to benefit from the deployment of the 200 armed men would be those who have no form of state sponsored protection.
Currently, 67 MPs who double as Ministers or Deputy Ministers, the Speaker, two Deputy Speakers, the leadership of the House, comprising the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Majority Chief Whip, First Deputy Majority Whip, Second Deputy Majority Whip, Minority Chief Whip, First Deputy Minority Whip and Second Minority Whip each have armed police protection.
According to Mr Dery, among the Article 71 Office Holders – the Judiciary, the Executive and the Legislature, the lawmakers are more exposed to violent attacks because of decisions they take on behalf of the state, which affect people adversely.
“Just as judges are exposed because they take decisions, which affect people adversely, MPs are even worse because how many people know the judges.
“Here our sittings are telecast live and people know us. You also know that very serious decisions are taken here which have ramifications for some people.”
Security of MPs, Mr Dery said has always been as important as security for citizens, which culminated into the establishment of the PPU of the Ghana Police Service, in 1992.
He said though in the past, police personnel constraint made it difficult for MPs to be protected on personal levels, the increased numbers of killings have made it possible for the deployment.
Giving an update on the state of investigation into the murder of the MP, Mr Dery said no one has been arrested so far.
The police, he said, have been to the crime scene and picked finger prints so “investigations are ongoing steadily. The police are working hard to get to the button of the matter, but for now no arrests have been made. We shall get to the button of this crime and bring perpetrators to book”, he assured.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
