DCE Kidnaps Police Officer

& Assaults Him

The Central Regional Police Command is investigating a case in which the Krachie East District Chief Executive, Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato, has allegedly kidnapped a policeman performing his lawful duty and subjecting him to severe assault.

The Ghanaian Lens can report that as a result of the assault on him, the kidnapped Policeman, Sgt. Emmanuel Holortu, has sustained visible injuries that require medical attention.

When The Ghanaian Lens reached the assaulted Police officer, he declined to comment on the matter, referring this reporter to the Regional Police commander, DCOP Rose Atinga, who confirmed the incident but declined further comment saying she would not be able to comment on the matter until investigations are concluded.

However, investigations by The Ghanaian Lens established that on Friday 20th April 2007, personnel from the Central Regional Police MTTU, including the kidnapped and assaulted officer, were detailed to check over-speeding motorists on the Cape Coast-Mankessim highway, and at about 11.30am, while the policemen were performing their duties at a spot around Anomabu, they sighted an approaching pick-up whose speed ?clocked? 75km per hour, on the speed gun or radar of the police.

The Ghanaian Lens investigations further established that the speed limit permissible along that stretch of road being 50km per hour, the Police flagged the on-coming pick-up, with registration number GW 6663 W, to a stop, upon which the Krachie East DCE, who was in the vehicle with the driver identified himself as a DCE and therefore demanded that he should be allowed to proceed without the Police enforcing the law on speed limits.

However, the Police insisted on upholding the law and insisted that the offending driver should drive to the Police station where he would be processed and released to appear before a court of competent jurisdiction at a later date.

Apparently interpreting the Police insistence to uphold the law to be an affront to whatever authority he may have believed his position as a DCE confers on him, the DCE, Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato, ordered the driver to drive off, and the driver drove off, compelling a Police dispatch rider among the duty Policemen to pursue him with his motorbike.

The Ghanaian Lens investigations established that Sgt. Holortu also joined the chase in another vehicle and the DCE?s vehicle was chased to the Police barrier at Moree, whereupon Sgt. Holortu hopped aboard the vehicle and asked the driver to return to where the Police were arresting him for the offence that was allegedly committed.

Again, the DCE countermanded the Police directive and asked the driver to drive off, and again the driver drove off, this time with Sgt. Holortu aboard the vehicle.

Upon reaching somewhere around Third Ridge, Sgt. Horlortu, apparently devised a way of getting the driver to stop the vehicle, as it must have dawned on him that the DCE was bent on driving him to whatever destination he was headed to. The Sergeant started throwing out some of the baggage in the vehicle, obviously as a way of compelling the driver to stop the vehicle.

The Policeman?s actions had the desired effect, as the driver promptly stopped the vehicle, whereupon the DCE together with his driver and the occupants of a second pick-up that was following the DCE?s vehicle set upon the hapless policeman and beat him mercilessly.

The second pick-up, with registration number GT 9261 X, was apparently in convoy with the DCE?s pick-up.

According to eye-witnesses, the DCE was enraged because he claimed that a particular bag that the Policeman threw out of the moving vehicle contained his laptop.

Eye-witnesses say that it took some doing before they could rescue the hapless Policeman from the incessant assault on him by the DCE and his bunch of thugs, by which time the Policeman had sustained several bruises and possible injuries that might not be readily visible to the eye.

This latest incident is really symptomatic of the impunity with which NPP appointees are flouting the laws of this country in the apparent belief that nobody or institution could lift a finger against them.

It would be recalled that only a few weeks ago, the Ketu DCE, Mr. Justice Kudjoe, was in the news when his official telephone was used to place a threatening call to the Ketu District correspondent of this paper.

That case is still being investigated by the Denu Police.