‘Public has lost confidence in the police’
The Deputy Commander of the Upper West Regional Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police Nana Asomah-Hinne, has stated that the recent spate of mob actions on suspected criminals in the region depicted the public’s lack of confidence in the police service.
Advertisement
“It is no secret that the public has lost confidence in our men. The trust and confidence which are needed most from the general public are lost because of our attitude,” he said when he addressed more than 100 personnel of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service drawn from various barracks in the Upper West Region.
His comments come in the wake of “instant justice” meted out to crime suspects in Wa, which resulted in the death of at least two some weeks ago.
“The public generally see us as brutal during arrest, detention and interrogation. We display an attitude of rudeness, arrogance, hostility and bossiness or we use abusive or bad language when dealing with the public,” ACP Asomah-Hinne said.
His address was part of the opening ceremony of a two-week training programme for aides in the CID in the Upper West Region. The training is to equip the personnel with basic investigative, interrogation and interview skills and identification methods as well as refresh them on selected topics in criminal law, surveillance and crime scene management, among others.
The Deputy Regional Police Commander said it was as a result of lapses on the part of police personnel that the Inspector General of Police launched the public confidence reaffirmation campaign with a focus on building very good relationship between the police and the public.
“It came in the wake of complaints about the misconduct and the unprofessional manner in which we operate. These are found in the form of extortion, including demanding money before bail is granted; meddling in civil cases, abuse of the rights of suspects like illegal detention of suspects, wrongful arrest and poor treatment of detained persons,” he stressed.
The Director General of the CID, Mr Prosper Agblor, said the negative practices of some police personnel tended to dent the otherwise good image of the service.
Other Trending Stories
Citing recently reported crimes involving police personnel, including that of a police officer who was involved in robbing a taxi driver and two others who under-declared cocaine exhibits they had seized from a suspect, the CID boss said, “the police administration will not shield any officer who engages in such practices. Officers with inclination in this direction are advised to turn over a new leaf, else they will have themselves to blame.”
He said he expected personnel undergoing the training “to demonstrate improved performance, diligence, dedication, discipline and above all professionalism in the discharge of their duties” upon completion of the two-week training programme.