The Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Toobu, has urged the Police Administration to win public confidence with a high level of transparency in the chaos at Nkoranza.
“You need to draw a thin line and create a balance that you need to build police morale and also win back public confidence. And it’s the duty of leadership and I encourage the Inspector General of Police, he started well he shouldn’t lose it at all.
“There are justifications under which a Police officer should use a fire-arm but let the results be made public for the people to know that the Police has the right to shoot at the time. If the Police Officer was wrong, if the application of that force was not professional, wrong, and illegal and cannot be accounted for, it was unnecessary for that force, let the Police Officer pay the price,” the MP told Joshua Kodjo Mensah Starr Today Wednesday,
He continued: “Let the result be made public, that is why I am talking about transparency, professionalism and impartiality. That will make the public believe that the Police Officers are also human-beings. When they err they are punished like any other person and when they do well we applaud them.
“So let transparency prevail and all of us will continue to build our Police Service, because we must have a better Police Service whether we like it or not this is the Ghana Police Service. If it’s not good enough, let’s put in enough effort to make it better.”
Background
At least one person had died with five others on admission following a clash between youth of Nkoranza and Police on Tuesday.
The youth who were protesting the death of 28-year-old trader, Alber Akwasi Donkor reportedly attacked some officers before setting inmates free.
A police statement said the Police responded to the attack with the right amount of force with support from the regional Police command.
According to the Police, calm has been restored to the area, “we therefore, wish to assure all law-abiding citizens to go about their socio-economic activities without fear or hindrance, for the Police will do whatever it takes to protect their lives and property.”
However, a Security Analyst, Adam Bona has said the clash between the Police and irate youth in Nkoranza resulting in the killing of one person could have been averted if the Regional Minister had acted promptly.
According to him, the Regional Security Council could have suggested a curfew for the Interior Minister to approve but they failed.
“I will put the blame on the doorstep of the Regional Security Council, that’s the Regional Minister and his team. They sat down and and all they could do was to lament and lament. I cautioned them that they should stop the lamentation and look at options with regards to safeguarding lives and property in Nkoranza Municipality.
“What happened yesterday if the Regional Security and Municipal Security had actually spoken to the Interior Minister asking that a curfew should quickly be imposed. The Interior Minister could have assented to it and once that is done everybody will be driven to their room. No matter who you are there is a curfew. One other life lost is so useless and painful,” he told Naa Dedei on the Morning Starr Wednesday May 18, 2022.
The Security analyst said RESEC was only engaged in a series of meetings without any pragmatic measures adding that “they (RESEC) lost focus and became emotional with the situation.”
