Bechem police boss assists NDC

The District Police Commander of Tano South, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Baah, has been accused of assisting the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to bring people outside the constituency to register during the just-ended limited registration exercise.

According to Michael Opoku Buabeng, Tano South constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with the assistance of the commander, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hanna Louisa Bissiw, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) and parliamentary candidate of the NDC, 20 persons were brought from Abesiwa, a town in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region, to register their names at the Bechem CMB polling station.

He said protests by the NPP agents at the polling station led to the police commander himself using his truncheon to beat one Alexander Akwasi, and that he (Akwasi) was receiving treatment at the hospital for injuries he sustained.

This is contained in a petition released to the media in the district entitled, “Petition against Unjust, Unfair, and Unconstitutional Activities of Tano South District Police Commander At Bechem” and copied to the District Police Commander, the Regional Police Commander, the District Education Director and the headmaster of Presbyterian Senior High School at Bechem.

According to the NPP constituency chairman, the activities of the police commander were in clear violation of the 1992 Constitution which prohibits uniformed men (police) from openly declaring their support for a particular party.

He said for instance, the arrest, beating and abduction of some members of a medical team, comprising NPP activists, on a medical outreach to Techimantia by some NDC members and refusal by the police to arrest the culprits – even though a report was made to the police with names – showed clearly that the commander is in bed with the NDC in the constituency.

Mr. Opoku Buabeng said the commander’s behaviour was supported by the District Chief Executive, Bukari Naaba and the MP, Hanna Bissiw.

He has therefore called on the police administration to call the commander to order to allow peace and justice to prevail in the district.

He said moneys, phones and tablets that were collected from the abducted people had still not been returned to them and asked for proper investigation into the conduct of the district police boss.