The Ghana Police Service has intensified efforts to ensure strict compliance with guidelines governing the importation, repurposing, use and decommissioning of Armoured Bullion Vehicles (ABVs) in the country.
The move is aimed at strengthening the safety of cash-in-transit operations and protecting personnel, valuable assets and the general public.
A one-day sensitisation workshop on the guidelines and standards for ABVs was held in Accra yesterday for private security organisations, cash-in-transit (CIT) operators, retrofitting companies and importers.
The workshop was organised by the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the Ministry for the Interior and other stakeholders to deepen understanding of the regulatory framework and promote compliance.
The guidelines, officially rolled out in December 2025, set requirements for the importation and certification of ABVs, their operation and maintenance, inspection and compliance, personnel qualifications, retrofitting and modification, and safe decommissioning.
The Deputy Minister for the Interior, Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, said the initiative was particularly important following a series of armed attacks on cash-in-transit operations between 2021 and 2023, which resulted in the deaths of three police officers.
He said the attacks exposed vulnerabilities associated with the use of soft-skinned vehicles for cash-in-transit operations and underscored the need for stronger measures to protect lives and property.
Mr Terlabi warned that any vehicle retrofitting company or individual converting vehicles into ABVs without the requisite permits and approval from the Minister for the Interior would face the full extent of the law.
He said sanctions could include the revocation of operating licences, stressing that no company or individual would be allowed to circumvent regulatory requirements or compromise the security standards of ABVs.
The Deputy Minister urged private security organisations, CIT operators, importers and retrofitting companies to take full ownership of the guidelines and incorporate them into their daily operations.
He said compliance should not be viewed merely as an administrative or regulatory obligation but as a fundamental responsibility to save lives, protect property, maintain public confidence and strengthen national security.
Mr Terlabi also called for closer collaboration among the Ministry of the Interior, Ghana Police Service, Bank of Ghana, private security organisations, CIT operators, importers and retrofitting companies.
He said such collaboration was necessary to ensure that all ABVs deployed in Ghana were safe, fit for purpose and complied with prescribed standards.
The Director-General of Private Security Organisations, Commissioner of Police (COP) Daniel Efriyie, who delivered a welcome address on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said the Police Service had intensified enforcement and monitoring of ABVs.
That, he said, had resulted in the complete withdrawal of soft-skinned cash-in-transit vehicles from operations nationwide.
COP Efriyie said the Police Service had also developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) based on the ABV guidelines.
The SOP, he said, would operate alongside the Bank of Ghana’s SOP to provide an operational framework for the effective regulation and use of ABVs.
He urged regional, divisional and district commanders to ensure professional monitoring of ABV operations and verify the legitimacy and certification of vehicles encountered during operations.
COP Efriyie also appealed to road users to give way to ABVs in traffic and exercise patience and caution when encountering them.
He said cooperation from the public was essential to the safe movement of cash and other valuables.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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