Director of Academic Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces Staff and Command College, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso, has intimated that the issue of the alleged shooting of the 27 year-old young man, Albert Donkor is unfortunate but does not in itself justify youth rampage in Nkoranza.
Commenting on the rampage that took place leading to the attack on the Nkoranza Police Station, Dr. Antwi Danso averred that such acts exacerbates the situation which isn’t ideal. “Then it’s like we will not even get to the truth and this is very akin to the Ejura situation.”
The Director of Academic Affairs stated that, such acts makes investigations challenging which is not good, especially when the Police has not come out with the truth of what happened or what it’s speculating but the people get informed based on social media feeds.
“So, that is part of the problem. In conflict situations like this, you need sober heads. The family yes, we commiserate with them and it’s unfortunate how things have been handled and we still don’t know the truth.”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
Reacting to claims that Police personnel on the ground didn’t do a good job with crowd control during the rampage, Dr. Antwi Danso stated that the Police have their own standard operating procedures which is built under crowd control rules and so, “they know what to do when they have crowd to control”.
However, Dr. Antwi Danso indicated that some of such crowd control becomes rowdy or go bad and when they do, it results in numerous casualties. This, he stated, is mostly blamed on the Police personnel. “We are always trying to paint that the police had used massive force or whatever it is and they are wrong which isn’t the case actually.”
“I have always maintained the need for the public also to know that, public-police relationship must be that cordial in order that crime will not be part of our lives. Because if we confront the Police, which organization it is to ensure that criminality is not part of us but safety is…, it will not be realized.”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
The Director of Academic Affairs questioned why the the public pounces on the Police when as an institution, they’ve gone wrong. This, he posited, exacerbates such tensioned situations resulting in more deaths.
We need to have a retrospection
Dr. Antwi Danso indicated that the people need to have a retrospection on how to approach situations like what is happening in Nkoranza. “What should the nation do so that what people have called Mobocracy where the mob takes the law into their own hands does not become part of our lives in Ghana?”
The Director of Affairs averred that the people taking the law into their hands is becoming too much. He added that people always want to take the law into their own hands at the slightest thing which he described as lawless.
Dr. Antwi Danso expressed worry about the indiscipline nature in the country. He said:“We are so undisciplined that we don’t want to do things constitutionally. We don’t want the institutions of state to work within the remits given to them by the constitution.”
“And if we continue that way, worst things are going to happen. Because the Police will not stay when they’re being attacked, the military will not stay. They may commit mistakes but let us allow time unravel the mistakes they have made so that we punish those who committed those crimes.”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
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