The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has filed an injunction to prevent a demonstration, organized by Ebenezer Havor (President of PTAAM GH), in collaboration with Bernard Mornah (co-convener of Arise Ghana) and Mensah Thompson (Executive Secretary of ASEPA), from taking place.
The seven-day protest, from July 31 to August 6, 2024, plans to mobilize over 2 million young people to take to the streets of Accra.
According to the GPS, upon receiving the notification letter from the organizers about their intent to demonstrate, the Accra Regional Police Command invited the respondents to a meeting on June 25, 2024, to discuss and address the security issues contemplated by the Command.
The Police Service noted that during the meeting, the Command requested the respondents to reconsider the number of days and daily time duration for the demonstration.
The Service further stated that it explained that a seven-day demonstration would severely strain the Command’s human, logistical, and operational resources, potentially impacting other routine operations and duties, given that the police population in the region is only approximately six thousand.
“[The organizers] in response to the meeting with the Command through subsequent letters reduced the time of closure for the demonstration each day from 2:00 am to 12:00 midnight but maintained the number of days among other things”.
“… on 22nd July 2024, the Greater Accra Regional Police Command informed the Respondents in writing of its inability to sanction the intended demonstration due to their failure or refusal to adhere to the security concerns raised by the Command during the meeting with them”.
Ghana Police Service
The Police Service noted that, in a letter dated July 23, 2024, addressed to the Regional Police Commander, the organizers maintained their decision to proceed with the intended demonstration despite the Command’s refusal to sanction it.
Police Warn Of Risks From 7-Day Demonstration
Furthermore, the Ghana Police Service indicated that it is convinced that the proposed demonstration if allowed to proceed in its current form, may compromise public defense, public order, public safety, the operation of essential services, and the rights and freedoms of other individuals.
The Service also noted that the Command is currently engaged in various operational activities within the region due to the upcoming Annual Homowo festival.
As such, it observed that the Homowo celebrations are typically marred by security disturbances stemming from chieftaincy disputes in some local communities.
“… In view of the impending General Elections, there are also a lot of political activities within the various Police divisions and districts which require visible police presence to ensure the safety of such political actors and the general public”.
“…to safeguard the security of the Region and the Nation as a whole, the Regional Command has mobilized backup personnel from the National Headquarters to assist in areas with personnel shortfalls since it has exhausted and deployed all available personnel within the region for various engagements”.
Ghana Police Service
The Ghana Police Service stated that due to personnel shortages, the Regional Command, in line with directives from National Headquarters, has temporarily suspended leave of absence until after the elections to ensure adequate staffing for effective law enforcement.
The Police Service further stated that the organizers of the demonstration failed to provide a convincing justification for their insistence on a 7-day demonstration, scheduled to take place daily from 10:00 am to 12:00 midnight.
Consequently, the Police Service argued that allowing the 7-day demonstration could create operational gaps, as personnel would be diverted, leaving sensitive areas understaffed.
The Police Service acknowledged that the right to demonstrate, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, is not absolute, but is subject to the public interest and the greater good of society.
Accordingly, the Ghana Police Service has implored the court to exercise its jurisdiction to protect public defense, order, and safety by ordering the organizers of the demonstration to limit their protest to 2 days, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm each day.
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