Politicians Control Police When In Power – DCOP Adusei

Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Adusei Sarpong in his account of the violence that marred the Ayawaso By-election has revealed that politicians influence the police when they are in power.

He made this revelation at the Commission of Inquiry which is tasked to unravel the violence which characterised the Ayawaso By-election.

Reacting to a question asked by counsel for the the Commission, Mr. Sarpong hinted that, the police are always controlled by politicians anytime they are in power.

” We don’t succumb to their whims and caprices, the police are always controlled by politicians when they in power, so when they are in the minority they get apprehensive; it looks like they are afraid of their own shadows” he stressed.

DCOP Sarpong further stressed that, the presence of vigilante groups is as a result of unemployment, stating that, those involved usually have nothing to leave on hence they get involved in these groups.

” Vigilantism is a means for these people to survive, since they don’t have anything to live on, they get involved with these violent groups so that they can survive”. he stated.

Explaining further, DCOP Adusei Sarpong said, often times ruling parties use the services of these groups for their parochial interest and so when they lose power, they lose trust in the service and to some extend the reason for the formation of Vigilante groups in the country.

“Politicians have said many times that they have formed these groups to protect them, as to whether that is genuine or not, it is for them, they are the politicians and they have formed the groups but at the end of the day, everybody condemns that it is not a healthy situation” – he revealed.

The Commission of Inquiry has been set to inquire into the the violence that erupted at the Ayawaso By-election which led to the several injuries of some civilians.

The commission began its public hearing on February 14. It has former Dean of the Faculty of Law of GIMPA and private legal practitioner, Mr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi as its Secretary.

Henrietta Mensah Bonsu and Patrick K. Acheampong were also appointed as members of the Commission. The commission has been given one month to complete its work.