IGP DROPS BOMBSHELL * Massive changes announced

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 21, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE shake-up promised by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Quaye, actually erupted earlier than anticipated yesterday with the announcement of far-reaching changes that swept the entire headquarters and regional commands of the service.
At the top brass of the command, Commissioner of Police (COP) Yaw Adu-Gyimah has been moved to National Security, to be replaced as Director-General of Police Services by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) George Amusah Anko-Bil, until now the Eastern Regional Police Commander.
In other changes which are all to take immediate effect, the Western Regional Police Commander, COP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, moves to the Police Headquarters as Director-General in charge of Administration and Human Resource.
With the exception of the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), DCOP Frank Adu-Poku, who retained his position, virtually all the top officers were affected by the changes.
COP Joana Osei-Poku, who was in charge of Administration and Human Resource, is now responsible for Welfare; DCOP Ofosu Mensah-Gyeabour, the immediate past Northern Regional Police Commander, is now the Director-General in charge of Research and Planning, while DCOP Stephen Andoh-Kwofie moves from his position of Director-General, Finance, to be the Eastern Regional Commander, to be assisted by the second-in-command at the CID Headquarters, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Isaac Ken Yeboah.
ACP/Dr George Akuffo Dampare has been named as Director, Finance.
The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP James Oppong-Buanuh, moves to the Police Headquarters as Director-General, Legal, while his counterpart in Tema, DCOP John Kudalor, replaces DCOP Patrick Eden Timbillah as Director-General, Operations. DCOP Timbillah has been reassigned as the Ashanti Regional Police Commander.
The former Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kweku Ayensu Opare-Addo, has been named as the new Director-General, Technical, while ACP Peter Alex Wiredu and ACP Richmond Nii A. L. Boi-Bi-Boi were named as Directors of Administration and Operations, respectively.
With regard to other command changes in the regions, DCOP Rose Bio Atinga moves from the Volta Region to head the Accra Region, with ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Accra South Divisional Commander, as her second-in-command.
ACP Bright Oduro moves from his present position as second-in-command in the Accra Region to head the Upper East Region, while the former Upper East Police boss, DCOP Hamidu Mahama, moves to the Western Region as Commander.
The Tema Deputy Commander, ACP Ransford Moses Ninson, has been moved to head the Upper West Regional Police Command, with ACP David Ampah-Benin, Deputy Eastern Regional Commander, moving to the Central Region as Deputy Commander.
In the remaining changes, ACP Augustine Kwabena Gyenning moves from the Upper West Region as deputy to head the Tema Regional Police; ACP Alex Amponsah-Asiamah of the CID Headquarters has been moved to head the Interpol Unit, while Superintendent Hamza Ayikambe Yakubu, second-in-command at the National Police Training School, moves to the Police Headquarters as Special Operations Assistant (SOA), with Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Firmin Akongzigrigo Azitariga being moved from the Narcotics Control Board to the Police Headquarters.
The IGP told the Daily Graphic on Tuesday after meeting personnel of the service at the Police Headquarters that he would undertake a major overhaul of the top hierarchy of the Police Service and across the country, which he said was part of the performance re-engineering he sought to bring on board to ensure that the police employed approved and accepted practices in the delivery of services to all stakeholders..
“Some of the changes will be immediate, especially those that do not require financial commitments but just the administrative movement of personnel to fit into the appropriate job specifications of their qualifications and professional competencies,” he said.