Professor Ransford Gyampo, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Ghana, claims that political interference is partially to blame for the nation’s poor policing.
according to him, the majority of junior officers are “political party members” who have “no idea” and “no interest” in policing.
“They are forced into the service because there is no job,” he said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show, Ghana Montie.
Professor Ransford Gyampo, however, wants inflexible structures that allow only “serious” persons into the service.
“The protocols are too many in the service so officers are not committed to the work,” he lamented.
The lecturer was discussing the role of the police in the Islamic Senior High School chaos which happened on Monday, June 13, 2022, that left some students hospitalized.
Interdicted Over Anti-Islamic Comments
For their participation in the Islamic SHS protest and how the police handled the protesters, four additional police officers have been detained.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, has now detained seven police officers in total in connection with the matter.
The team that was said to have videotaped the altercation included the four new officers, who are a Chief Inspector, an Inspector, and two Corporals. They were heard making disparaging remarks about followers of the Mohammedan faith while watching the incident on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) screen in the police control room during the Muslim SHS students’ protest.
The identities of the staff are, however, a matter of police secrecy.
Unprofessional
Professor Gyampo thinks the police were “unprofessional” that day, but he also believes more can be done to stop similar incidents from happening again.
“We have some serious officers out there who carry out duties professionally,” he said.
Adding that, “If their police service is allowed to recruit genuine person, these incidents will stop.”
Commendation
The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCSALW) and the National Peace Council (NPC), in a related development, have praised the Ghana Police Service for their prompt response to the recent Islamic Senior High School (SHS) incident.
Their praise follows the sanctioning of senior police officers for violating police protocol and the launch of additional inquiries into the Islamic SHS demonstration against the frequent assaults on staff and students at the school’s entrance.
This was mentioned in a press release that the NCSALW and the NPC jointly released.
Source: Source: peacefmonline.
