Kofi Wayo: Ghana Police Is Still ‘Colo’

Maverick politician and Leader of the defunct United Renaissance Party (URP), Charles Kofi Wayo, says the lack of requisite modern equipment in undertaking crime-scene investigations by the Forensic Unit of the Ghana Police Service, strengthens the earlier held perception that the Service is operating under the colonial system.

To him, the foundation of every nation is its security force, but sadly, personnel in Ghana’s security agencies are not adequately trained to handle present challenges.

“I’ve been telling you for the past ten years that our police system is still the colonial system, they don’t have tools and incentives. The police should have a forensic team who can recreate to match the incident (crime-scene)…, the foundation of a nation is the security forces and they come to play in our everyday lives but the training we give them is not adequate and we don’t take them serious,” he added.

Kofi Wayo was speaking as a panelist on Adom FM’s ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on claims by the Police that a Tamale enroute passenger bus which was reported to have been attacked by armed-robbers and the passengers robbed of all their valuables after which the armed robbers forced male passengers to subject female passengers to ‘rape’ and ‘defilement’ is a hoax.

In his estimation, the police did not act professionally by allowing the complainant (passenger) continue on their journey after reporting of the robbery incident.

“The police should have quarantine the bus and kept the passenger, because when people are attacked by armed robbers, they might be traumatized requiring counseling…When it comes to a serious crime like this; we have to do what we call mental calculation. You don’t just throw things around…The police procedure must be established…because all the witness are saying different things so now the authorities have to take charge and separate the facts from the fiction,” he urged.

Chuck, as the outspoken one-time oil magnate is affectionately called, suggested that the Intelligence Unit of the Ghana Armed Forces be asked to either assist in or take over investigation of the alleged mass bus ‘rape’ incident.

“I like President Mills because of his concern for the ordinary people but if the security forces are lying to him, it means the nation is at stake so they have to be careful. I think they should bring the Military Intelligence into this case so we can put the facts together because they are neutral,” he suggested.