All is not well at the Police Forensic Laboratory at the Police Headquarters, following the promotion of Chief Superintendent David Appeatu to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) by the government.
Currently, DCOP Appeatu is said to have the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Academy in the USA. According to sources close to the Police Headquarters, he is likely to become the new Criminal Investigations Department (CID) boss when he returns to Ghana.
The sources said Mr Sam Awortwi, Commissioner in charge of Legal and Prosecutions, has been assigned temporal responsibility as the acting CID boss. It said Mr Appeatu the second in command to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mrs Sarpong Mensah, who is in charge of the Police Forensic Laboratory.
Mr Appeatu's sudden jump form Chief Superintendent too DCOP is said to be creating uneasy calm at the Forensic Unit. According to the sources, petitioned the Police Council through the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nana Owusu-Nsiah, for redress.
It said some political considerations had been read into the promotion of Mr Appeatu to DCOP by the government since his jumping straight from Chief Superintendent to Deputy Commissioner violated promotions code in the Police Service.
It said the government could have promoted Mr Appeatu have Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and not (DCOP). Again, if any person was promoted to DCOP he or she must go for the police command course and be interviews, both of which were not done.
The sources said continuous government interference in the appointment of officers and undue promotions in the Police Service was going to create unhealthy relationship and undermine professionalism in the Service.
