Citizens abusing police will keep rising if the service fail to address issues of police brutalities – Criminologist

A criminologist and lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Jones Opku Ware, has underscored the need for the Ghana Police Service to refine the training of personnel with intensified training on anger management.

Speaking on Frontline on Tainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he said the Police institution is moral because they are responsible for maintaining law and order and protecting lives and property, hence the people must respect the service personnel.

He suggested that it is improper for the people who the police protection to engage in physical fights with them.

"The police service is a moral institution. It is a moral institution because the police protect human life and property. They uphold law and order, and as such, they must be respected and treated with dignity by the general public. It is troubling that the people whom the police protect are fighting with them. It raises a slew of issues that we must address.”

According to him, in seeking an understanding of what is happening, I try to speak with the Police, and from what I have gathered, there is a component of their training that must be reviewed, and that is anger management.

"it appears that when it comes to dealing with the public’s emotions, the majority of officers lack that skill, and it should be appropriate for them to focus on that. These attacks are sometimes motivated by rage. Our service personnel requires calmness in order to address some of these issues and protect life and property without escalating issues.”

The second point he raised was "victim-offender scenarios or relationships.

"Over the years, some Ghanaians have developed the impression that some police officers use their uniforms to intimidate and abuse citizens’ fundamental rights.

"When these things continue for an extended period of time, the victim will react, and some bystanders may also react. When people are subjected to violence and the system is unable to provide them with justice, they will begin to retaliate. That is the pattern I have noticed, and the Police must address it immediately.”