Police assault on citizens must stop – Ken Attafuah

Criminologists, Prof. Ken Agyeman Attafuah, has backed calls for government to establish a commission of inquiry to go into how unarmed demonstrators were brutalized in their demonstration to fight for a new voters register Wednesday.

He’s argued that there’s no basis for the kind of brute force used by the police against unarmed citizens in the protest organized by pro-opposition pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance, and others.

Commenting on the back of this development on Anopa Kasapa on kasapa 102.3 FM, Prof. Attafuah said, the incident was a regrettable sight in riot control and has called for investigations into the matter.

“We need to launch investigations into this; it is absolutely in the right order not only under section 97 of the Police Service Instruction; but also within the context of this nation and what has happened. There have been too many instances of police brutalities against the citizenry of this country which have come to nothing. When you ask the police one year later, they tell you they are still investigating. I believe this is the time for Police to stop the excessive intimidation and also instilling fear in the people,” he said.

The Let My Vote Count Alliance, Movement for Change and Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) joined forces to draw a massive crowd in the streets to back calls for a new voters register ahead of the 2016 election, insisting the current album is flawed with lots of anomalies.

Midway into the demonstration, pandemonium broke when riot control police fired tear gas and hot water cannons on protesters.

The police took the action after some recalcitrant demonstrators wanted to force their way through barricades that had been erected to block access to the offices of the Electoral Commission, which the police described as a security zone

The ensuing event left the demonstrators running helter skelter for their dear lives as the police charged on them.

Dozens sustained various degrees of injuries, including NPP stalwart Gabby Otchere-Darko, who was stroked with horse whips.

Convener of pro-opposition pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) ,David Asante and twelve others are to be prosecuted by the Police on Tuesday, September 22 for their role in the violence that characterized Wednesday’s demonstration.

They have been charged on two counts, obstruction of police officers and causing unlawful damage.