Police tighten oversight of bullion vehicles as IGP calls for greater road-user cooperation

The Ghana Police Service is stepping up enforcement and monitoring of armoured bullion vehicles (ABVs), with motorists also being urged to cooperate with operators of the specialised vehicles to improve safety on the roads.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said road users should exercise patience and give way when they encounter bullion vehicles, stressing that the safe movement of the vehicles was important to protecting their crews, police personnel, cash and other valuables being transported.

He made the call in a speech read on his behalf by D-G/PSO, COP Dr. Daniel Kwame Afriyie at a one-day sensitisation workshop organised by the Ministry for the Interior in Accra on Thursday.

The programme brought together private security companies, cash-in-transit operators, vehicle importers and retrofitting firms to examine the standards governing the importation, certification, use and eventual decommissioning of ABVs.

Mr Yohuno said the growing reliance on armoured bullion vehicles required strict adherence to safety and security standards to reduce risks associated with cash-in-transit operations.

According to him, the regulatory framework covers several areas, including vehicle construction, certification, crew training, operational safety, tracking and surveillance, inspection and decommissioning.

He disclosed that the Police Service had established enforcement teams at the regional and district levels to support compliance and strengthen monitoring of bullion vehicles across the country.

A major development, he noted, was the removal of soft-skinned cash-in-transit vehicles from operations nationwide.

Mr Yohuno said the move followed a directive from the Minister for the Interior instructing financial institutions and businesses involved in cash-in-transit services to discontinue the use of such vehicles.

“I am pleased to inform you that there are currently no soft-skinned cash-in-transit vehicles in operation,” he said.

The IGP linked the tougher measures to lessons from five attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles between 2021 and 2023, incidents which resulted in the deaths of three police officers.

He said the Police Service had subsequently developed a standard operating procedure based on the ABV guidelines.

The procedure would complement the Bank of Ghana’s own operating framework and provide a clearer basis for regulating cash-in-transit vehicles.

Mr Yohuno further tasked regional, divisional and district police commanders with supporting enforcement teams to verify the legitimacy and certification of ABVs operating within their jurisdictions.

He directed that stakeholders found operating outside the prescribed requirements should be reported to Police Headquarters or the Ministry of the Interior for the necessary action.

The IGP also cautioned companies involved in importing and retrofitting bullion vehicles to comply fully with the required technical and safety specifications.

He said the standard of work carried out by such companies had direct implications for the safety of police officers, cash-in-transit crews and other road users.

Beyond enforcement, Mr Yohuno stressed that the protection of cash and valuables during transportation could not be left to security agencies and operators alone.

He therefore appealed to motorists to cooperate with bullion-vehicle crews, particularly by giving them sufficient space and avoiding actions that could interfere with their movement.

He described the secure transportation of cash and valuables as a shared responsibility requiring cooperation among the Police Service, financial institutions, cash-in-transit operators, vehicle manufacturers and the general public.

The workshop was therefore expected to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the new requirements and promote greater compliance across the cash-in-transit sector.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith