Coronavirus: No positive case at Dansoman Police Division – Commander

The Dansoman Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Jeffrey Darko, has discounted claims that his outfit has recorded two coronavirus cases.

According to him, although blood samples of both police personnel and inmates within the division have been taken, results are yet to be delivered.

“I am the District Commander of Dansoman, and I am saying that blood samples have been taken from my station including mine and we are patiently awaiting the results. So I cannot make any confirmation on the matter,” Chief Supt. Darko clarified.

The Dansoman district police commander was reacting to reports that his division had recorded two coronavirus cases.

This was when Zoomlion Ghana Limited on Wednesday, May 21, disinfected the Dansoman police station and two other police facilities—Mamprobi Police Station and the Korle Bu District Police Headquarters, all in Accra.

Chief Supt. Darko, despite the situation, his personnel are not relenting in the performance of their duties.

“…as officers we are observing all the COVID-19 protocols in the performance of our duties. A lot of people come here; the citizenry always come here to lodge complaints. We are still handling cases, and going to court as well,” the commander said.

He said the division has put in place measures to prevent congestion in the various police cells under his jurisidiction

These steps, he disclosed, included avoiding detention of suspects of all cases, taking witness statements and where there is evidence they send such cases to the court.

“…and in cases where there is lack of evidence we grant bail for the suspects to go home because we have decided not to crowd our cells,” Chief Supt. Darko stated

Asked about how his division was enforcing the preventive protocols at the Dasnsoman market which is close to the police station, the commander indicated that his officers from time to time patrol the market to educate the traders.

“Even last two weeks, our community policing unit was there to enforce the social/physical distancing protocol in addition to the wearing of masks, and using alcohol-based hand sanitisers for their hands,” the chief superintendent recounted.

He expressed gratitude to Zoomlion Ghana Limited for partnering the Ghana Police Service to have its facilities disinfected against the global pandemic.

According to him, facilities disinfected in his division included the male and female cells, barracks, various offices and the entire compound of the Dansoman Divisional Headquarters.

The COVID-19 protocols, he noted, are being strictly adhered to by his officers.

For his part, the Mamprobi Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Cephas Arthur, who also had his station disinfected, indicated that the exercise will go a long way to sanitize both the police station and its environment.

“It will also protect us against the deadly coronavirus” he said, describing the exercise as a good one.

He revealed that mass testing of his officers had been done recently, but said “we are waiting for the results”

Chief Supt. Arthur however, said some of the tests were voluntarily done as officers availed themselves for it.

“Additionally, we have Veronica buckets, detergents, hand sanitisers, which we make sure personnel as well as inmates and visitors to this place use in sanitising their hands against the virus,” Chief Superintendent Arthur said.

At the Korle Bu District Headquarters, Police Commander Cephas Edezeami, indicated that as part of measures to avoid crowding in the cells, his outfit has resolved not to detain suspects of lesser offences.

“We ensure that suspects of cases which are not serious are not detained but granted bail to go home,” he said.

He, therefore, thanked Zoomlion for the exercise, stating that it will help contain the spread of the coronavirus at his station.