Where is the Ghana Police Service?

A gang of young persons last Monday stormed state installations across the country to take control of them, claiming their government had come to power.

When the news broke, some members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) tried to rationalise the actions by saying thay were responses to similar attacks on state institutions by foot soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2009.

This equalisation business that has become part of our body politic is not good and it is about time men of goodwill raised their voices against it.

Having practised multi-party democracy for more than 24 years, there should be little problem accommodating divergent opinions and people of different persuasions.

The beauty of democracy is the preparedness of the players to encourage unity in diversity and open the space for all to participate in the conduct of national affairs.

The two main political parties — the NPP and the NDC — that have had the privilege to govern the country have, through their actions, deepened the gulf along partisan lines.

In 2001 and 2009, Ghanaians were shocked by the actions of government activists who seized cars and bungalows that belonged to people perceived to belong to the political party in opposition.

Many Ghanaians recall the brutal assault on perceived supporters of the NPP at Agbogbloshie in Accra in 2009, during which some of them lost limbs. Unfortunately, the police treated that act as political violence, letting the perpetrators off the hook.

Can we blame the police for the cold feet they always develop when those involved in criminal activities are connected to political parties, especially the governing party?

Some Ghanaians have suggested that the police apparatus be made independent of the government machinery to ensure that the police can deal with security issues without looking behind their shoulders.

When the misguided elements believed to be sympathisers of the NPP took over state assets last Monday, the police hierarchy had gone into hiding, so to speak.

None of the media outlets that wanted police reactions to the unfortunate and unacceptable development could reach the top echelon of the Police Administration for the police to, at least, assure members of the public that there was no cause for alarm.

So far, the police have disappointed the public by not rising to the occasion to bring criminal gangs to order, no matter whose ox will be gored.

The Daily Graphic calls on the Police Administration to stand up to be counted in these critical times when it must keep everybody in line, including those who think because their political party is in power, they can take the laws into their own hands.

We cannot derail our democratic credentials by using crude methods to remove people from office. We cannot create jobs by sacking those presently in employment.

 Nana Akufo-Addo had promised change from the status quo and that requires that the indiscipline of the past make way for the rule of law and not rule of man, which is akin to making might right.