Police Commanders in Tango Over Transfer

THE CONTROVERSY surrounding the re-posting of newly transferred Inspector P. A. Yeboah from Accra to Cape Coast Central police station, continues to deepen as the Acting Central Regional Commander (RC) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and the District Commander cannot see eye-to-eye with regard to certain decisions taken by the former without consulting the latter.

This is because while the District Commander (DC), Supt. E. A. Agyekum, who works directly with the new Inspector, commends Insp. Yeboah as a man with initiative whose service the GPS very much needs, the RC thinks otherwise.

This came to light following a letter the district officer sent to Mr. Patrick Ampewuah, acting Central Regional Commander of the GPS, for daring to re-post Inspector Yeboah to Saltpond.

The letter dated April 8 and signed by Superintendent Agyekum, stated that if the acting RC had cared to visit the Central police station ever since Inspector Yeboah assumed duty there, he would have seen that the Inspector he is bent on dumping at Saltpond is the type of officer who is an asset to the GPS.

It pointed out that first and foremost, the Inspector was transferred to Cape Coast from Accra to take over from the then Chief Inspector S. E. Nii Boye who had consistently been marked 14 days excuse duty umpteen times and even his whereabouts are not known.

The letter asked the acting RC whether he wanted Inspector Yeboah to double as a Station Officer for both Cape Coast and the Saltpond districts.

The DC's letter stated that he had decided to retain Inspector Yeboah at the Cape Coast central police station because it is a very busy office that needs someone with initiative and drive.

RC Ampewuah, however, sees things differently and insists that Inspector Yeboah is not qualified to be a station officer.

Explaining the rationale behind the re-posting of the new Cape Coast Central police station officer to Saltpond, an exercise which had sparked off the internal controversy, Ampewuah said Inspector Yeboah has no cause to complain because there is suitable accommodation for him at Saltpond.

According to the RC, he has the prerogative to relocate any personnel posted to the region, adding that the re-posting of Inspector Yeboah to Saltpond had been accepted by the outfit of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), therefore, there is no reason for Inspector Yeboah to continue staying at Cape Coast to work.

He further explained that any personnel qualified for the position of a station officer must be interviewed by a panel made up of himself and other officers.

The RC said even though Inspector Yeboah was transferred from Accra to Cape Coast, there was no accommodation for him in Cape Coast, hence his relocation to Saltpond, he stressed.

He said: "I have no secret agenda as far as the transfer is concerned," but admitted that at the moment there is no station officer in Cape Coast.

Inspector Yeboah who had served the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTEAT) and used part of his allowance to procure a computer and a typewriter had installed the machine in his office since assuming duty to enhance the discharge of his work at the station even though many of the police stations in Accra have no such computers to work with.

Chronicle also gathered that from the Inspector's own resources, he had repainted the Central police station which had never seen paint for years which won him the respect of some members of the personnel who, it is learnt, are prepared to take to the streets in protest against his re-posting.

It was again learnt that even though the whereabouts of Chief Inspector S. E. Nii Boye, are still unknown, his family is still occupying the quarters while the new station officer has been lodging with a sister ever since he was transferred from Accra on January 22.

Sources close to the Central Regional police station told this writer that when the acting RC attended the recent meeting of Regional Commanders in Accra, he made arrangements for the transfer of a Chief Inspector from Kwabenya in Accra to come and take over from Inspector Yeboah as the former is bent on re-posting him.

Later in an interview with Inspector Yeboah, he told this reporter that he had never complained about accommodation because Chief Inspector Nii Boye still occupies the quarters which is supposed to be his accommodation.

Therefore, he does not see why the acting RC is bent on relocating him to Saltpond only because there is no accommodation for him.

He said he is prepared to be marched to the IGP on the issue which he considers irregular in the GPS.

Meanwhile, following the events over the reposting of Inspector Yeboah, the Cape Coast Municipal Chief Executive (CCMCE) Mr. Muniru Arafat Nuhu, last week petitioned the IGP to ensure that the new Inspector remains in Cape Coast as the Station Officer due to his hard work on crime combat in the municipality.