Some top clergymen have expressed concern over the unending professional misconduct by some police officers in their line of duty.
According to the clergy, this persistent act of extorting money from civilians on the roads is embarrassing and goes contrary to the Service’s motto “Service with Integrity”.
Speaking at an engagement with key stakeholders as part of security preparations ahead of the yuletide, a representative from the Peace Council asked the IGP to step in to instill sanity in the Service.
“My job takes me on the road across the country and I see this thing that worries me. The IGP talked about shame and sometimes I feel ashamed when you reach barriers with police officers and the officers on duty are kind of asking very directly for you to give them some money and it is embarrassing to me. Because for me as a servant of the people, I don’t ask my church members to give me personal money.
“I want to plead with you if you can speak into the conscience of our men on the ground, that this habit must be put to a stop. So if you do your analysis and you do your assessment and you get your feedback we shall be interested for you to share the feedback with us so that we will be working with you because the two points you have brought up to change the narrative, which is the sense of guilt and the sense of shame, apply to both the police and to us,” the Executive President of Ghana Baptist, Rev. Enock Thompson said.
But the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare says these challenges in the Service are being addressed.
He also called for public support to fight crime in the country while extending an invitation to Ghanaians in the diaspora and around the world.
“We want to speak to the rest of Ghana through the media that Ghana will continue to be at peace with itself because that is what God wants for us and nothing will stop that. So we should be encouraged and we should be assured and we the police will play our part.
“To the rest of the world, we want to assure you that the things we do here in Ghana, we will continue to work together with a sense of patriotism and the fear of God,” he added.