Banks unable to meet IGP deadline for using armored bullion vans

The country’s financial institutions were unable to meet the deadline set by Inspector General of Police (IGP) James Oppong-Boanuh for them to use fortified ingot vans to transport cash .

The directive was due to go into effect today, Thursday July 1, as the IGP indicated a deadline of June 30, 2021, following the Jamestown Bullion Van attack that resulted in the death of a police officer and a passerby.

But, the Director General of the Police Criminal Investigation Department, the COP Ken Yeboah, speaking to JoyNews said the banks have indicated they cannot meet the deadline.

“We met the governor with his team recently, and the problem was that the timing was too close as they wouldn’t be able to import armored vehicles in those two or three weeks,” he said. declared.

“In the meantime, IGP has already written to them last year, but they were pleading for time to allow them to import.”

He however said that “we have also beefed up the security that this time none will be in an ingot van so something is going on but I’m sure on the deadline issue maybe we don’t. will not. be able to cope with it, but something is being done by the banks.

Meanwhile, the director general in charge of operations within the Ghana Police Service, ACP Arhin Annor, said the service will implement some measures to protect the bullion vans starting Thursday.

“We asked our commanders to escort the ingot vans instead of sitting in the ingot vans.”

According to him, “the personnel must not be less than three and they must also put on their bulletproof vests and then the helmets so this is the directive which was given by the chief of the police”.

The IGP, in the wake of the Jamestown attack, met with the Bankers Association and set a new deadline for them although an earlier directive from the Bank of Ghana specified July 2023.

“From now on, the 30th of this month (June), any bank or company that does not have a bulletproof armored van, we are not going to provide assistance to that company,” said the IGP at the family residence of gendarme Emmanuel Osei. , when he went to sympathize with them.