The image of Ghana Police under Dr. Dampare is not positive – Lecturer

A political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Amakye Boateng, has said the image of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) under the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, is sinking.

"The challenge the current IGP has been facing is still going high, and the image of the police is getting out of hand. The image is not positive", Dr. Amakye Boateng has observed.

The political science lecturer was responding to a viral video where a police officer was seen begging a civilian for his life at Axim in the Western Region.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service said in a statement that it had arrested four members of the gang, adding that they were involved in money extortion from galamsey sites in Axim, a community in the Western Region.

The police also claimed the men seen in the video were robbers.

But the leader of the gang, Kwame Asare Ato, who escaped police arrest and is currently on the run, has denied the allegation, saying they are not robbers as claimed by the police.

He also revealed that his gang worked in the area with the District Police Command to extort money from miners, and he went further to reveal that the gun he used in his operation was given to him by the police CID in the district.

Dr Amakye Boateng, who spoke on Angel FM in Kumasi in an interview monitored by MyNewsGH.com, insisted the video exposes cordiality and conspiracy between the police and the 'galamsey' gang.

Speaking on the investigations initiated by the police into the matter, Dr. Amakye Boateng said it is going to be interesting.

When asked if he is certain the police can do a good job in terms of investigating the matter, he said, "The country is watching because it is a challenge for the police themselves."

"I said something about the IGP some time ago: there are things we can do just for public consumption, but if you want to do something for people to see that indeed you have done a good job, there should be the introduction of systematic change. We look at these things after you leave office."