Weed out criminals from Service - Otumfuo to IGP

Kumasi, May 15, GNA - The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, has appealed to the leadership of the Police Service to do all in its power to weed out miscreants and criminals from the service. This, he said, would help redeem the image of the service and restore public confidence in the police.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call at the Manhyia Palace on Monday when the Inspector General of Police, Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, paid a courtesy call on him at the start of a one-week visit to the Ashanti Region.

He said some police personnel entered the service with the motive of using the gun to engage in armed robbery, hide in the uniform to deal in drugs and extort money from the public, especially drivers. Others also connived with criminals and provided vital police information to them to escape arrest.

These activities, he said, had been on the increase in recent times and were eroding public confidence in the police. Otumfuo Osei Tutu said if the Police Service, which was supposed to maintain peace, security, law and order, was in itself engulfed in gross indiscipline and criminal activities then the security of the nation was in danger. He called on the IGP to live above reproach and stem his authority and work hard to leave a mark behind for posterity. Otumfuo Osei Tutu also called on politicians to stop interfering in the administrative duties of the service. He mentioned interference in transfers and promotions as well as investigation procedures by some government officials and politicians and said that often contributed to the indiscipline in the Police Service.

Mr Acheampong said one of the major challenges facing the service was residential accommodation for police personnel. He said the Service had the capacity to train more personnel to increase their numbers in the country but lack of residential accommodation was hampering the efforts.

Mr Acheampong appealed to chiefs and district assemblies as well as estate developers to consider providing police barracks so that the service could provide personnel in their communities. He said the leadership of the Service was doing everything possible to instill discipline among personnel and mentioned the recent dismissal of some personnel as part of the measures being instituted to improve discipline in the service. 15 May 07