The Ghana Police Service has begun nationwide enforcement against illegal and uncertified cash-in-transit and armoured bullion vehicles as part of new measures to tighten security around the movement of cash and other high-value items.

The action follows concerns over repeated armed attacks on cash-in-transit operations, which have led to deaths and raised questions about safety standards in the sector.

Speaking at an orientation programme for police operational teams at the Ghana Police Service Headquarters on Thursday, February 5 2026, the Director General in charge of Private Security Organisations, Commissioner of Police Daniel Kwame Afriyie, said the exercise marked a move from policy work to active enforcement.

He said police officers across the country had been directed to verify the legitimacy, certification and roadworthiness of armoured bullion vehicles encountered during operations and to identify and report illegally modified or non-compliant vehicles.

The programme follows the rollout of national guidelines in December 2025 regulating the importation, retrofitting, use and decommissioning of armoured bullion vehicles. Under the guidelines, financial institutions and private firms involved in cash in transit services were required to regularise their operations within a 45-day period, which expired on January 21, 2026.

Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Minister for the Interior, Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, said enforcement had become urgent following a series of violent attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles between 2021 and 2023. He disclosed that at least five attacks were recorded during the period, three of which were fatal and resulted in the deaths of police officers on escort duties.

According to Mr Terlabi, the attacks exposed weaknesses in vehicle standards and operational practices within the cash logistics sector, prompting government intervention to tighten controls.

Mr Terlabi said the Ghana Police Service, working with the Ministry of the Interior and the Bank of Ghana, would play a central role in enforcing compliance, including supporting inspections, providing escorts where required and monitoring the movement of armoured bullion vehicles nationwide.

He warned that entities involved in cash-in-transit operations, vehicle retrofitting and bullion transport without the required licences and certification risk being stopped from operating.

Mr Terlabi added that the orientation was designed to equip police officers with technical and operational knowledge of the new standards, improve coordination among agencies and promote consistent enforcement across the country.

He urged officers to apply the guidelines professionally and lawfully, noting that strict enforcement would help prevent armed robberies, protect lives and restore public confidence in the movement of cash and valuables.

Officials said further training programmes would be rolled out in the coming months as part of plans to fully implement the new armoured bullion vehicle standards nationwide.