Set up police complaint commission
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa has made a strong case for the establishment of an independent police complaint commission (IPCC) to deal with human rights violations involving police officers.
The case of CHRI, Africa is contained in a 25-page report launched in Accra yesterday to commemorate International Human Rights Day.
This year’s International Human Rights Day was commemorated on the theme: “Celebrating 20 years of changing lives through human rights”.
The report is the outcome of a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion on the establishment of an IPCC in Ghana, which was organised by CHRI, Africa and sponsored by STAR-Ghana.
It captures the perspectives of participants in the roundtable discussion on the need for the establishment of an IPCC in Ghana.
Imperatives
The initiative of CHRI, Africa is informed by a statement attributed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in March 2014, pledging the commitment of the Police Administration to redeem the tarnished image of the service.
The IGP was reported to have suggested the establishment of an IPCC to deal with police personnel who violate human rights.
While applauding this move, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders have been divided over whether the IPCC should be hosted by the Ministry of the Interior, as suggested by the IGP, or the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), or be an independent body.
That debate, notwithstanding the overwhelming consensus on the establishment of an IPCC suggests that the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau has failed in its objective to deal with professional infringements by police officers.
Complaints
At the launch, two complainants – a woman and an ex-policeman – narrated their harrowing experiences with the PIPS and its failure to deal with their respective complaints.
The Regional Coordinator for CHRI, Africa, Miss Mina Mensah, said the sharing of the experiences by the two complainants was not meant to vilify the police but to present the facts.
She appealed to the media to join the campaign for the establishment of an IPCC in order to promote adherence to human rights in the country.
Launch of report
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and the Interior, Mr Fritz Baffoe, who launched the report, pledged the support of Parliament for the establishment of an IPCC in Ghana.
He, however, said that the funding of the commission was very critical, considering the challenges that some state institutions faced with funding from the national kitty.
The Director of Amnesty International, Ghana, Mr Lawrence Amesu, expressed concern about recent developments of soldiers assaulting civilians, and said, “these things cannot continue”.
