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General News of Tuesday, 7 May 2019

Source: theheraldghana.com

Race for new Inspector General of Police heats up!

There is a secret, but fierce battle within the Police administration, as to who succeeds David Asante-Apeatu, as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

Mr Asante-Appeatu’s two-year contract, runs out in three months, and The Herald is informed of an intense lobbying on the corridors of power, the homes of influential family members of President Akufo-Addo, the homes of the senior power brokers of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) by senior police officers to take over from the IGP in early August.

President Akufo-Addo’s selection list has been narrowed to COP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, COP Ken Yeboah, COP George Alex Mensah and COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.

Interestingly, all the listed officers will retire in 2023, except COP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, who turns 50 in August and retires in 2029.

The relatively young age of Tiwaa, who is the current head of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), is become her Achilles heel.

Her inability to find the killers of Ahmed Hussein–Suale, the slain key partner of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has become a weakness being exploited by her other competitors.

Also being exploited by her colleagues, The Herald is informed, is her inability to trace and find the three kidnapped Takoradi girls and their assailant.

What should have been seen as a collective responsibility, have rather become Tiwaa’s vulnerable points, and cleverly being exploited by her opponents.

Indeed, it is suspected that the recent publication of the rescue of the kidnapped girls was a planted story, to dim her chances of becoming IGP by painting her as incompetent, but ambitious.

In spite of these, The Herald’s information is that the race is between COP George Alex Mensah, who is the Director-General in-charge of Police Operations, COP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare and the CID boss, Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.

What is ridiculous is that, while some of the police officers have taken their lobbying to influential family members of President Akufo-Addo to be considered, others have engaged the services of NPP elements on social media to champion their cause, and they have had their pictures and names flooding their various social media platforms, especially Facebook.

Another strange thing The Herald picked up is that some of the officers with more years ahead of them as police officers are unwilling to take up the position, afraid that their careers might be cut short should the NPP lose the 2020 presidential election.

In this regard, some of them will rather have the current Deputy IGP James Oppong-Boanuh, who is also on a year’s contract, serve as head of the police administration in an acting capacity until after the 2020 election when an NPP victory could have them stay longer in office as IGP.

More To Come!