Ashiaman Mayhem, Police Daily Tithes & Professionalism

The battered image of the Ghana Police Service, which is in need of serious surgery, has experienced another set-back. The indiscriminate shooting by the Police at Ashaiman resulting in the death of innocent citizens of this country is another blot on the professional competence of our law enforcement agency. There is every reason for us to believe that the Inspector General of Police must be a truly thick-skin Chief Constable to continue clinging to his job in the midst of the problems which have engulfed his outfit.

In an election year with the stakes so high, one is wondering and skeptical if the Police Administration is capable of ensuring an incident-free elections. There is fear in the air and the earlier the NPP government finds a solution to the myriad of problems which have dogged the Police Service the better for mother Ghana and its citizens. Protests by way of demonstrations either planned or spontaneous remain part of any democratic country. The Police are expected to always be on the alert for such protests, some of which could turn ugly as evidenced by the Ashaiman situation.

The New National Democrat is appalled by the unprofessional manner the Police handled the situation. This is not to condone any wrongdoing on the part of the drivers. When the public vents their anger at the Police, they do so mostly from the inhuman and disrespectful manner the men in uniform treat their civilian colleagues. A more humane approach by the Police could have averted the loss of lives. When such situations arise, the Police authorities are known to defend their actions to the hilt. There is not a doubt that the some of the Police personnel, particularly, those with the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) have become overlords on the roads. They exude so much arrogance and power as to make one feel if they are next to God.

If you see the condition of some vehicles on the road, with parts of the body hanging perilously as if to detach from the rest but there is no Police action, then you would understand. The MTTU is a very vital wing of the Service. We need them to help maintain discipline on the roads. On the other hand, the commercial drivers would tell you the main reason why the personnel of the MTTU hit the roads very early in the morning. They believe in the adage “the early bird catches the worm”. The Police are more concerned about the daily tithe they will collect from drivers than ensuring the flow of traffic or any other technical or mechanical defects which could lead to accidents.

Seriously, the Police Administration cannot pretend to be unaware of the scramble by most officers to be posted to the MTTU wing of the Service. Those using the motorbikes are worse. They have mastered the various juicy spots in the week-cycle. They know where to be mount surprise motor-checks around the clock in order to make “good sales” each passing day. The world of most Police personnel wherever you find them is to hit the road to extort money from drivers. It has become even fashionable these days for them to beat their chest as if they are heart and soul of our 1992 Constitution.

The craze to get rich has driven our Policemen to sacrifice their professional duties for every little particle resembling money. They accept everything. The few disciplined ones look on helplessly while the gluttons run the show. There is every indication that the Police went to arrest the drivers in Ashaiman with the intention of scooping a morning haul in order to go home smiling at the end of the day. We know some of them before they leave home for duty in the morning, do mental calculations as to how much they could make in a day if they play their cards well. Their cup will never get full because their brand of solidarity is too strong, even, more powerful than the Lodge. What is disconcerting is the image of the Police Service growing from bad to worse. It has reached the point where salvaging it could be as difficult as dismantling the whole edifice and repackaging it. From the cocaine saga resulting in a top Minister of government losing his portfolio to the brazen use of force to mow down civilians, whither our Police Administration? Yet, the President and his advisers could not find any other role for the top brass and inject a new sense of dynamism into the Service. There is too much suspicion in the air. As we compose this Front Page Comment, a member of our editorial team joked that “he thanked God that Mr. Chaaaarge, who used to be the Greater-Accra Police Commander now head of National Disaster Management Committee (NADMO) was not the one directing operations in Ashaiman”. She stated that the casualty figures would have shot through the roof.

It is interesting that these men who have through sheer incompetence and professional ineptitude have caused lives and limbs to be broken in instances when minimum force was required are those rewarded when they go on retirement. The Police Service is need of serious surgery. The cancerous part has to be chopped in order to save the rest of the body from decomposing. The fish starts to rot from the head. Heads must roll for the indiscipline and corruption which is set to paralyse its nervous system to be arrested before blood stops running through the capillaries tubes.

For those interested in peaceful elections in December, the mayhem in Ashaiman has sent the wrong signal. Although it is disturbing piece of news, there is ample time for the political authority to think through the problems and strategise quickly in order to arrest the steep descent of the Police Administration into complete abyss. We have been witnesses to the inability of the Police to contain very insignificant disturbances. The recent violent clashes in Bekwai, involving NPP supporters at party primary has not been lost on us. Blood oozed and flowed freely from the brazen and unprofessional manner the Police personnel deployed to maintain law and order took sides and subject the citizens of the land to Guinea Pigs for experiment as if they were at a shooting range practicing the art of hitting their targets.

The New National Democrat believes in law and order and a society where the respect for the laws must be paramount. We have faith in constitutional structures necessary to promote the welfare and freedom of the citizens. We believe in a Police Service which is addicted to professionalism and not concerned with what to extort from the public. It is damaging the Police Service. We urge our politicians to pay unannounced visits to police station across the length and breadth of the country to see how the payment of money before bail is granted has rather increased instead of decreasing.

What has happened in Ashaiman is a reminder to our political leaders of the difficulty facing the nation as the men and women expected to protect lives are rather destroying them. We have reached a very crucial point in our survival as a nation. We need to take the bull by the horn and ensure that the Policeman and woman could hold aloft the banner of professionalism. The lies and twisting facts to shield and hide their complicity in crimes must be dealt with once and for all. The MTTU and other police personnel whose overriding ambition is to collect daily tithes from drivers deserve to reflect over their actions. Greed, arrogance of power and lack of sound professional judgement are responsible for the innocent lives lost.