The problem of land guards still persists in many parts of the regional capitals of Accra and Kumasi. A few cases of land guards terrorizing residents in some areas in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions have been reported. 2.7 Safety and security of life and property The security services continued to rigorously enforce laws and regulations to provide safety and security for citizens, and ensure internal peace for the country to hold its position as the most stable and safest in the West African sub-region. 2.7.1 Police personnel Recruitment into the Ghana Police Service (GPS) increased the total numerical strength of the police officers from 23,124 in 2010 to 24,818 in 2011. This substantially reduced the Police-Citizen ratio from an estimated 1:1,037 in 2010 to 1:976 in 2011. The improved ratio, however, still fell short of the United Nations (UN) recommended policecitizen ratio of 1:500. 2.7.2 Crime statistics A number of policy measures have been put in place by the security services to address the issue of safety and security in the country. These included: • An improvement in the rewards to informants who help to deepen intelligence-led policing in the country. • An establishment of a Marine Police Unit as part of the National Policing Plan to ensure safety of the oil and gas industry • Daily joint police-military internal security operations to fight crime, particularly armed robbery, drug trafficking and environmental degradation. • Use of plain clothed police personnel to gather intelligence in zoned sections of districts and towns Sixth Annual APRM Progress Report: January – December 2011 18