- Office of the Special Prosecutor announces investigation
The Office of the Special Prosecutor, has commenced full investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences with regard to the recruitment exercise of Course 51 of cadet officers at the Ghana Police Training Academy, many of whom The Herald picked up had bribed their ways there.
Some are said to have paid between GHC25, 000 to GHC30,000, to be allowed into the academy.
Others were said to be close associates and errand boys and girls of some senior officers, hence were heavily favoured to enter the academy, instead of going there on merit.
There are some others, whom The Herald learnt were recalled from Peacekeeping Missions abroad to enter the Ghana Police Training Academy without writing and passing the required entrance examination.
The commencement of the full scale investigations, was disclosed in a statement issued by the OSP signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng yesterday, Thursday, March 17, 2022.
The investigation will target “the alleged corruption and corruption-related offences of the use of office for profit, abuse of office, abuse of power, favouritism, nepotism, victimisation and the selection of unqualified persons,” in the recruitment processes.
This comes after the arrest of some police officers believed to be involved in recent bullion van attacks in the country.
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the Police Service announced that four police personnel were arrested at Borteyman near Ashaiman in connection with an ongoing intelligence-led police investigation into some bullion van robberies.
The arrest has triggered calls for a drastic reformation of the Ghana Police Service as some have argued that the seeming fallen standards in the service are to blame for police officers’ involvement in these crimes.
A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, recently also called on politicians to desist from interfering in the recruitment process of the service.
He said politicizing the service retards its professionalism.
“I’m calling on the political parties to as a matter of urgency look at their recruitment regime and the influences they play in the selection. Some people don’t even go for the screening and medicals and because it’s coming from a big man, it is assumed that the person is of good moral character. That’s why more often than not, we have these challenges.”
