Why Ghana Police Could Not Arrest Charles Taylor

The Ghanaian Police administration says it takes more than media broadcast to arrest any suspects for extradition for any alleged crime. The statement is in reaction to accusations that Interpol Accra did not honour its obligation in arresting President Charles Taylor of Liberia when he was in the country for alleged crimes against humanity.

Police sources told the state-owned News Agency that it would have taken sometime for the request for Mr Taylor's arrest to be carried out even if the request was in order.

According to the police, normally such requests were made through the embassy of the suspect's country of origin, which would later inform the Police Administration or it was channelled through Interpol which would informed its counterpart in Accra.

Even after receiving such a report from either the embassy or Interpol, the Police would then inform the Attorney General's Office which would assess the request and then give directives to the Police.

Police say where a warrant of arrest was issued for any suspect, such procedures would also be applied, adding that in some specific cases the Attorney - General would have to request from a local court whether such an arrest was within the legal limits before any action was taken.

The local courts would determine whether an extradition or warrant of an arrest was proper or not. According to the police, in those circumstances, arresting suspects for extradition would take time especially in fulfilling the legalities associated with it.