Striking Force, Panthers Unit to be absorbed into Mobile Force -IGP

The Police Administration has decided to enforce Government's directive on the White Paper on the Justice Archer Commission that the Striking Force and Panthers Unit be absorbed into the Mobile Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku announced on Friday.

Speaking at a meeting of personnel of the three units in Accra he said the combination of the duties of the three units is to ensure an effective and efficient rapid deployment force.

He said the modalities of the merger would be announced in due course. "It is time to put our house in order and retrain personnel of the merged unit on public order and containment of violence. We must depart from a situation where the police is referred to as 'trigger happy' by the members of the public."

The Mobile Force was formed in the colonial era as a rapid deployment force. The Striking Force was formed after independence and the Panthers Unit after December 31, 1981.

Mr Owusu-Poku said the past two decades have witnessed a massive socio-political and economic development the effects of which have placed an enormous responsibility on the police.

"As the challenges of policing continue to grow in leaps and bounds so also have been the expectations of better performance from ordinary citizens."

Mr Owusu-Poku noted that a lot of things have been taken for granted by the police while discharging their duties thus exposing their weaknesses publicly at all levels.

"In most cases, officers appeared to have lost their bearings and assumed certain responses which have created a lot of embarrassment to the service as a whole."

The IGP said developments over the past two decades have also changed their professional way of performing their duties.

"This situation, no doubt, has been reflected in the extend to which personnel have tended to rely so much on the use of weapons than on commonsense and discretion in the discharge of duties.

"I am saddened when I see weapons being used in carrying out almost all duties, more so, when arrests are made with weapons in very minor cases."

Mr Owusu-Poku said the manner officers use firearms indiscriminately in containing public disorder and violence has raised much public concern adding that the public have found the use of lethal weapons in controlling riots and crowd no longer tenable.

"The acquired dependency on weapons syndrome must be abandoned if we are to function effectively.

"We must return to basic crowd control methods of using steel helmets, shields and long batons."

Mr Owusu-Poku said the current democratic dispensation required that they reviewed their policing methods and adapted them to suit the constitutional obligations imposed on them as a law enforcement agency.

The IGP also expressed concern about lack of discipline in the service and said police officers should change their behaviour and attitude towards the public and strive to redeem their image.

"You should note that the police officer is the arbiter of social justice and the public expect officers to be fair and firm."

Mr Owusu-Poku said even though they have personal prejudices, the police officers should not allow them to colour their sense of judgement in the performance of their duties.