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The Ghana Police Service was commended by Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), for their “professional handling” of the most recent Democracy Hub demo.
He praised the police for their strategy, attributing it to Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector General of Police.
In a Facebook post, Mr Braimah characterized the police’s behavior as “refreshing” and an important step in upholding Ghana’s fundamental right to freedom of expression.
He pointed out that the police’s professional handling of the demonstration was a sign that efforts to protect citizens’ rights were making headway.
Mr. Braimah went on to emphasize the change in the police force’s strategy, noting that Dr. Dampare’s direction has caused the force to stray from its traditional focus on using force to keep the peace during demonstrations.
He emphasized that the police’s flexibility during the protest was a reflection of how they were changing as a system.
In closing, he said that Ghana’s democratic image has been improved by the Dampare-led Police Service, which has established Ghana as a role model for competent law enforcement in the face of civil unrest.
“In the midst of our darkness from the dearth of good leadership and the resultant hopelessness, we see a bright light and hope from the Ghana Police Service. In the Ghana police of today, we don’t only see good leadership. We feel the evidence of good leadership.”
“The Ghana Police Service, we had always known, was quick to show demonstrators where power lies. It was the kind of police that will deploy brute physical force, tear-gas, water cannons and bullets and all they have against demonstrators, and still call that ‘use of minimum force.’ The consequences had always been bleeding faces, broken limbs, lost eyes, etc.”
“What we now see is a very civil, decorous police, that is gentle yet forceful enough to ensure the enforcement of law and order. What we see in the Ghana Police Service of today are clear manifestations of what good leadership does. It is the same police men and women. It is the same Ghana police service. What has changed is leadership.
May we have great leaders for all our institutions and country. Kudos to you, Dr. George Akufo Dampare, for your leadership. Keep it up.”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
