Security analyst, Adib Saani, has condemned the interdiction of police officers embroiled in the conspiracy tape demanding the removal of IGP, Dr Akuffo Dampare.

According to him, the interdiction served by the Ghana Police Service is derailing efforts by the parliamentary committee tasked to carry out the probe on the matter. He revealed that there are some administrative hiccups within the police service which must be closely looked at.

That notwithstanding, Mr Saani lauded the parliamentary committee for not just delving into the authenticity of the tape or investigating the conspiracy behind the removal of the IGP for political expedience. He explained that the committee is much more focused on the wider scope of looking into the generality of the police service and making recommendations on police reforms.

“I am very optimistic in the work of the committee so far, based on the caliber of people on it with varied experiences and the line of questioning that has come as a result.
“I’m also intrigued about the new revelations we’re getting to know by the day, and more information behind the scenes is being fed to the parliamentary probe. The interdiction to some extent undermined the workings of the parliamentary committee.”
Adib Saani

Furthermore, Mr Saani lamented that the police service in its current form has a lot more to the issue than being currently displayed. As such, he emphasized that the service cannot handle the ongoing probe with “emotions” because it might get it wrong.

Additionally, he noted that although the interdiction is not illegal, it begs the question of whether indeed, interdicting COP Alex Mensah at this time is right or wrong.

“… For crying out loud, this man is already on terminal leave. How does he influence the investigation? That is why I think there’s more about emotions to this than practicability. That’s exactly what’s beginning to emerge… There are so many things an interdicted officer cannot do even though in principle; he is still a police officer…”
Adib Saani

Resolving issues within the police service

Moreover, Mr Saani revealed that it is the President who can initiate a disciplinary action against an officer, although the IGP and police disciplinary board are equally capable. Owing to this, he questioned who authorized the interdiction considering the personality involved – “because we are talking about a General in the police service”.

“I think better circumspection should have been exercised before coming out with this interdiction. Unfortunately, I think it was hastened at the wrong time and in the end, it has backfired. More issues are coming to the fore, so I think it’s quite unfortunate.”
Adib Saani

Touching on the impact of the interdiction of the police officers on the service, Mr Adib noted that there are major issues within the police service, as a lot of allegations have been made in that regard about unilateralism and abuse of power. He further stated that there’s a great deal of disenchantment within the police service, and the leadership cannot afford to brush them off.

“If we concentrate on the aesthetics from outside, and not pay attention to the internal issues, it becomes a problem. It’s quite obvious that the police is deeply fractured and something has to be done about it. I’m hoping that the parliamentary investigation will look into it…”
Adib Saani

Meanwhile, Mr Saani expressed the need for Ghanaians to collaborate to see how best the internal structures within the police service can be improved. He suggested that leadership, procedural reforms and operational reforms can be implemented to ensure the police service stands out to be able to effectively execute its mandate.