…. Prof. Aning says personnel are tear-gas happy
Ghanaian statesman and ex-military officer, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has described the current challenges with the Ghana Police Service, regarding crowd control as the result of running a militia alongside the regular police.
He cited what happened at Ayawaso West Wuogon, as a clear case of militia doing the job of the police. “Those you saw in the so-called fancy dress, were they regular police officers?” he quizzed.
On his part, the Director, Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Professor Kwesi Aning, noted that the Police Service, has had a challenge with crowd and riot control since its establishment, because its personnel lack the required training, saying they are rather tear-gas happy.
“Training and a focus on just one or two types particularly with their rather easy love affair with the use of tear gas”, he said.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, a former Ghana’s Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, spoke on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on his observation of the two day Arise Ghana demonstration which was organized by Arise Ghana Movement in collaboration with some political parties from Tuesday 28th to Wednesday 29th June, 2022.
There was a violent clash between the protesters and the police during the first day of the demonstration.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, says he is not surprised about the recent incidents of police abusing civilians and mishandling protesters as well as the use of brute force against civilians.
“I am surprised some of you are surprised about what is happening now. They are political elements not professional people. When you have a militia and regular police service, the militia definitely overtakes the roles of the regular police and that is what we are seeing now” Nyaho-Tamakloe expressed.
He recalled that demonstrations have been conducted in Ghana since the days of Nkrumah and there have been a series of serious protests across subsequent political regimes as recent as the ‘ku me preko’ demo during the time of Jerry Rawlings.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, said the Police, then, were more cooperative and protected protesters successfully.
“A significant event was a rally we had in Kumasi, same as ‘kume preko’ but I think we called it ‘sie me preko’. When we got there, we saw the military lined up when we were marching to Kumasi and our people were charged, and the soldiers had their heads down with their rifles just pointing to the ground. I was shocked and we passed peacefully,” he said.
He explained that even when the leadership of the ‘sie me preko’ demo had left the grounds for refreshment elsewhere, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander at the time, came to them in a civil and diplomatic manner to plead with them to go back to the grounds and dismiss the protesters since the protesters insisted they wouldn’t disperse until the leaders of the demonstration ask them to do so.
According to Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, modern policing is not about the show of force and what the police did on the first day of the demonstration was fruitless and a disgrace to the people of Ghana.
He again recommends that communication is a very powerful way of solving problems and opined that the second day of the Arise Ghana Demonstration was peaceful because of effective communication between the police and leaders of the protest.
Professor Kwesi Aning, called for a non-stop training programme for the officers to resolve this issue.
Prof Aning, made these pronouncements in an interview with TV3’s Roland Walker on the just-ended two-day demonstration organized by members of the Arise Ghana pressure group which ended on Wednesday June 29.
“The demonstrators themselves or the organizers probably, had a large portion of Ghana supporting them. What the average Ghanaian does not want in these expressions of political engagements relates to the violence because it can get out of hands, taking into consideration the frustrations might lead to something that we don’t want. But crowd control and riot control has been the single most consistent challenge to the Ghana Police service throughout its establishment,” he said.
Prof Aning added “Training and a focus on just one or two types particularly with their rather easy love affair with the use of tear gas , probably just one or two types, so they can master the mastery of using tear gas and water canons. But I think it is a matter of training because the demonstrations are going to continue, the population is going to grow, our population is growing so astronomically, our urban spaces expanding in such unplanned, disturbing rate that routine law enforcement is already a problem.”
Meanwhile, the Police have announced in a statement on Thursday June 30 that the number of officers who were injured during the first day of the Arise Ghana demonstration, increased from twelve (12) to fifteen (15).
All the officers are being treated at the Police Hospital with two under going emergency surgery, the Police added.
“We are grateful to our sector Minister, Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, for leading a team to visit the officers at the hospital.
“The Police Administration wishes to express its appreciation to members of the public for their show of love and support for the affected officers,” a statement said.
On yesterday, June 30 the Police granted bail to 29 persons who were picked up during the protest.
“They were held at four different police stations across the city,” a private legal practitioner Mr Abraham Amaliba told TV3’s Emmanuel Samani on the mid-day news .
The 29 persons were kept in police custody after being arrested for breaching the law on Day 1.
The first day of the exercise was marred by chaotic scenes with the pelting of stones and firing of tear gas and spraying of hot water against protesters.
Day 2, whose starting point was moved to the El Wak Sports Stadium as a result of events of Day 1, was held peacefully as petitions were presented to the Ministry of Finance and Parliament.
In a press release on Wednesday, June 29, the Service commended the peaceful outcome of Day 2.
“We are grateful to the general public for their cooperation and understanding in spite of the inconvenience the demonstration undoubtedly caused them,” the release signed by Director of Public Affairs Grace Ansah-Akrofi said.
“Whilst we continue to register our disappointment at the riotous conduct of the demonstrators on the first day, we commend them for their comportment today which, we hope, would provide lessons for future occasions to help deepen our democratic practices as a country.”
Commending personnel deployed onto the grounds, the Service also took the opportunity to wish all injured officers a speedy recovery.
