Police Brutalities… One Too Many!

Ghanaians continue to express shock and angst over the upsurge of police brutalities in various parts of the country.

In what appears to be like a norm, hardly does a day pass without news or reports of police officers brutally assaulting a citizen they ought to protect.

Already, tongues are wagging over the case of the officer, deployed to provide security to Midland Savings and Loans Company at Shiashie in Accra physically assaulting the woman in an attempt to force her out of the banking hall.

Police Brutalities

Frederick Amanor aka “Skalla” armed police officer on Thursday assaulted and battered Patience Osafo, 36, at the banking hall of the Savings and loans Company where she had gone to cash her own money she deposited.

As a prelude to that case was the killing of some seven people at Manso-Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region who the police claim are armed robbers.

The Police opened fire on the deceased persons they claimed were armed robbers, a few days after armed robbers shot and killed a policeman and injured another in the same vicinity.

Months ago, Joy FMs Latiff Iddris was also brutally assaulted by a brood of irresponsible police officers who attacked this defenseless journalist.

Weeks on, the police administration is yet to bring the perpetrators of that dastardly act that left the hapless journalist with broken skull and other health complications to book.

In June this year, a young lady had to battle for her life at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) after she was allegedly tortured by the police.

Ama Agyemang, 22, a native of Abrepo was sent to the hospital on Friday by the police after suffering severe injuries.

According to one of the policemen, Ms Agyemang was in police custody and attempted committing suicide, hence their resolve to send her to the hospital.

However, medical tests run on the victim however, proved the polices’ story wrong

“…but preliminary medical checks showed no signs of suicide but grave marks of severe assault,” one of the doctors said.

Back in Accra, last year, it may be recalled that a victim of alleged police brutality in a chaotic Let My Vote Count demonstration lost one of his eyes.

Justice Adzakuma, 36, was hit by a stray rubber bullet said to have been fired by the police in an attempt to control the crowd.

Shots and videos taken on the day of the demonstration showed vivid pictures of police brutality against demonstrators who police accuse of being riotous.

The police claim the demonstrators pelted them with stones and decided to change the route of the demonstration agreed earlier.

Police Demo

But, Amnesty International Ghana is threatening to stage a demonstration with other Civil Society Organizations against the Ghana Police Service if it does not make public, its report on investigations into recent incidents of police brutalities.

Amnesty’s list of incidents includes the assault of a woman by an officer in Accra last Thursday and the killing of seven men in Ashanti Region last week.

The Country Director of Amnesty International, Robert Akoto Amoako wants the findings from the investigations to be made public while appropriate sanctions are being taken.

“Incidents of this nature are becoming overwhelming and I think the Police IGP needs to do something about this to ensure that all issues that have been reported including the violence against journalists and the killing of the suspected robbers, all these issues should be investigated the reports be made public as soon as possible.”

In the view of Amnesty International, “if we don’t get the report after the investigations on the reported issues, it will appear the police have some impunity issues…. This time, all CSOs are going to come together and we are going to go on the streets if we don’t do something about this and bring out the report.”

Robert Akoto Amoako noted that while the Police rarely publish investigative reports on similar incidents, it is in their interest to do so in this case, to restore public confidence and trust in them.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson