Editorial: This is A Tragedy

On Tuesday, an Accra Circuit Court convicted six policemen and four civilians on charges of conspiracy and robbery. Among them was a Deputy Superintendent of Police, a Chief Inspector of Police, a sergeant, a corporal, a lance corporal and a constable! The conviction of any civilian for a crime constitutes a tragedy, in that that life may be destroyed forever, but the conviction of police officers, in whom the public is supposed to hold trust, is indeed a great tragedy, if it emerges, as in this particular instance, that they were conviction of police officers, in whom the public is supposed to hold trust, is indeed a great tragedy, if it emerges, as in this particular instance, that they were convicted for abusing their positions, uniforms and the trust place in them! We at the Daily Searchlight would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the trial judge and the court for having the courage to hand down the right and appropriate decision, in that, it would send a clear message that such conduct cannot and would not be tolerated. From all the available facts, it is clear that the policemen and their civilian counterparts were guilty of the charges, and we hope that in future, such crimes would be punished appropriately. For those at Daily Searchlight, however, the judgement has great significance for the police. It should serve as a clarion call to the police to take immediate steps at internal reformation, because it is clear that lack of proper internal command and control systems led to this tragedy. The Inspector General of Police must conduct an immediate inquiry to identify the lapses that made it possible for his personnel to corrupt and abuse the police institution to this level, in order to find long lasting solutions!