Commentary

Ghana Police Service in spotlight

By Dr. Nana Sifa Twum, Communications Consultant

The Ghana Police Service is once again in the news for all the unfortunate reasons. There have been reports that about twenty-five (25) students from the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi were hospitalized on Monday, June 13, 2022, after Police allegedly opened tear gas on them, while protesting frequent vehicular crashes on pedestrians in front of their school.

This is unacceptable and must be the least said about an elite security institution.

Police brutalities are becoming one too many and as such, go diametrically against their mandate/obligation as the nation’s security agency that legitimately seeks to provide internal security for the citizenry.

This year alone, several unfortunate incidents have happened that have brought tension between them and the public.

Recently, one person was confirmed dead and five others received treatment after sustaining injuries when the police opened fire on them, following a protest at a Police station in Nkronza in the Bono East Region.

On June 28, 2021, two people were shot and killed by the security personnel in Ejura in the Ashanti region and four others were injured during a demonstration, which turned violent.

The list is unending and extremely worrying considering the role of the Ghana Police Service.

The Police Service was created by the colonial administration to primarily ensure law and order in the country.

The Service has legal backing through the Police Service Act, 1970, Act 350 after independence and this is buttressed in the 1992 constitution.

The service is to primarily detect and prevent pre-planned, about to be committed and committed crimes, apprehend, as well as prosecute any offender of the laws of the land.

These, in a larger view, ensure the total maintenance of law and order and importantly protect lives and property in the country. Among other things, the Service is also tasked to ensure an enhanced and effective co-existence with the citizenry and to promote safer Communities.

The observance of the Police Week is a healthy move by the Service and it is an attempt to redeem the perceived lost image.

Apparently,the Police in Ghana are struggling to make a good name for themselves, as numerous incidents by some of the personnel have woefully dragged the name of the service into disrepute.

The general perception of the Ghanaian populace about the Police is not encouraging, to say the least.

On the roads, at the charge offices and at the Courts, the Service is not seen as an Institution that promotes friendship with citizens. The rampant indiscriminate shooting, inhumane brutalities, intimidation and molestation, as well as unwarranted killings against the very people they are supposed to serve and protect have gained prominence in the media. Alleged indiscriminate bribery, rude and unprofessional behavior and attitude towards the citizenry, lackadaisical approach to cases reported at some police stations, the blatant misuse of power and resources are just, but a few issues the public have against the police.

Now the focus of the Police must be on the very issues that have been identified as lapses in the relationship between them and the public.

If the Service wants the citizenry to have confidence in the personnel and the Police institution in general, then it behooves the leadership of the Service to weed out all the bad nuts within.

There must also be special training in customer/client/public relations for the personnel, as this has been identified/recognised as the major bane of the Service.

The Police must be friendly, professional and polite. Elsewhere, the Police appear very neat and polite in the eyes of the public and this is key in winning the confidence of the public. We are also told that the Service will introduce body cameras very soon.

This is very laudable as the Ghana Police Service is deemed as one of the best around the globe. This is evident in the award of the United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year, which went or was received by Ghana’s Chief Superintendent, Mrs. Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia for her exemplary work in the field.

Undoubtedly and generally, the Service is on course to provide the citizens of this country the best of security, but, by and large, such efforts, though appreciated, have not been enough.

The motto of the Ghana Police Service is Service with Integrity. This however must not only be rhetoric, but a guide and motivation to truly deliver service with integrity.

Personnel of the Service therefore must live beyond reproach. So we ask, is the Police helping us as citizens? Are they our woes or delight?