Police acted professionally in Asawase arrests - Seth Acheampong

Chairman of the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, Seth Acheampong has refuted claims by Muntaka Mubarak that members of the police anti-robbery squad acted unprofessionally during a swoop in Asawase last weekend.

On Saturday, October 24, 2020, about 10 supporters of the NDC were reportedly arrested around 9:15 pm while seated close to the office of the Member of Parliament, Muntaka Mubarak.

In media interactions after the arrest, Muntaka Mubarak described the activities of the police as unprofessional and an attempt to inculcate the Nigerian SARS approach of operations into the Ghana Police Service.

He is quoted to have said “they are shabbily dressed, some of them with dread locks or unkempt hair. If they were not holding guns and in police vehicles, you will call them deviants. Let the police tell us where they are getting the idea of policing from?”

But responding to the comments in interaction with JoyNews, Seth Acheampong described Muntaka’s assertion of the police anti-robbery squad as false and unfounded.

He said contrary to the MP’s judgement, the police acted per all the requirements governing their operations

“...the anti-robbery unit have a standby force, the detective unit go into the community...to do the intelligence gathering and the monitoring and assurances, once they’re able lay proper hands on target...they’ll call for reinforcement on the standby force and that’s where you see the apparel men. Men in proper state attire for policing...”

He further emphasized that, “the men who went there are not unkempt, these are men who are in plain clothes who have their bullet proof gear underneath…they acted as professionals as they should have been…that was not the first time they were entering the community so they knew where they were going.

Seth Acheampong also allayed fears that the anti-robbery unit of the Ghana Police Service is a replica of Nigeria’ SARS.