Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dr George Akuffo Dampare has challenged recent surveys by various bodies tagging the service as the most corrupt institution in Ghana.
A survey by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and others found the police, immigration and customs services most susceptible to taking bribes, mirroring other surveys such as the Corruption Perceptions Index.
In a five-page response, the police chief said it would have been helpful if the researchers had engaged the service to find out what measures they had instituted, so they can be incorporated into the findings.
“We want to place on record that we are passionate about this because the continuous empirically and scientifically unsubstantiated labelling of the police service as the most corrupt institution in the country only goes to feed this perception and damage the reputation of the service as well as weaken the morale of its personnel,” Dampare said.
“As we have all now come to accept, perception tends to be more powerful than reality and therefore we have no choice than to share our position on this matter.”
Below is the full statement: