20 Policemen Share One Room

Overcrowding of suspects and prisoners in detention cells and prisons has grown to unacceptable proportions in Ghana bringing up the questions of human rights of people in custody. But there is an even major overcrowding “problem” and that has to do with the law enforcing agencies themselves.

At the Nima Divisional Police Station in Accra, due to acute accommodation shortage, about 20 police personnel are compelled to squeeze themselves into one room.

Those who cannot succumb to these humiliating living conditions shelter with their relatives and friends. A top police officer at the Nima Police Station who revealed the situation to ADM said the lack of restful sleep, due to the overcrowding and lack of required logistics at the unit and other stations grossly affect their performance. “The police have been quiet and not complaining, so people do not know much about the actual problems we have. I think it is better to let the public know and understand the situation, so that, they don’t think we have the tools but we are not working”.

The officer said police personnel are working 12 hours a day, instead of the normal working hours of eight. “Definitely this will affect us”, the officer said, “if our people get good rest and all the needed logistics are in place, the police will work better than the public would even expect from them”. The officer appealed to what he called well-meaning Ghanaians and wealthy people within the society to contribute generously to the Police Service, so that they can give back better service.

A Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Angwubutoge Awuni speaking on television last week also raised the same issue. He told the ADM that the Police Administration was aware of conditions at the station and efforts are being made to improve conditions. He said the Inspector General of Police last month requested a list of personnel who are not accommodated to be factored into the plans of the service. To beef the workforce of the police, the government decided to recruit about 2000 personnel every year, but this move is facing problems due to accommodation problems.

“We need re-orientation. It takes a long time before refresher courses are organized, it is important to take people to the classroom and refresh their minds on current laws especially those on human rights to make us more effective and efficient”.

The Police Service has come under criticism for some time now, in one way or the other, over it perceived inability to manage situation in the country. However, what has been hyped as a face saver for their non-performance is the under resourced circumstances under which it operates.

Some of the problems that have not enabled them to be up-to-the-task include the lack of vehicles, communication gadgets, personnel, accommodation among other security equipment. Even though it is the responsibility of the government to see to the wellbeing of the police service as a public institution, since the police are responsible to install peace and order in the society, it is also wise for the general public to do what they could to assist the service, perhaps contributing their widow’s might to the Police Fund.