Coronavirus: Police arresting people they can’t keep - Prof Peter Quartey

As part of coronavirus protocol enforcement measures, police have been directed to enforce the wearing of face masks and a ban on some categories of gatherings.

The police are however arresting people that they cannot keep. This is according to director of think tank ISSER. He said it was clear the police did not have facilities to hold violators of protocols.

Prof Peter Quartey told JOY FM in an interview: “And also enforcement of the rules, we have seen the police go out for people but they cannot keep them.

“They don’t have the facilities to keep (violators), how many people can we keep, how many cells do we have?” he quizzed.

Reports of arrests over the past week have see police pick up people and later release them with orders to comply with the protocols. Some people especially on social media have questioned how police bundle violators together arguing it could rather help spread the virus.

Recent police mask operations include the Nima Divisional Command’s arrest of 27 people, Accra Regional Command arrested 97 whiles the Tema Regional Command arrested over 100 violators.

Police district commander for Denu, Paul Nakoja, spoke with the Ghana News Agency over a recent operation: “The exercise was not just for the sake of arresting and prosecuting people but to also send a word of caution to the public that there’s a law on mandatory face mask-wearing and that we’re enforcing the law and that if you go out without wearing a mask, it’s an offence punishable by law.

“Few were arrested but they were only cautioned and granted bail. We believe that at this moment, there’s no need going to add up someone from outside into the cells unless of course, the offence is a serious one.

“The exercise will not be a one day exercise. We’re going to sustain it and we want people to know that it’s an offence not to wear a face mask and it’s for our good because the pandemic is real,” he stressed.