STATEMENT: Police Under Attack!!!

The Ghana Police Service has reacted to what it calls a "new trend of onslaught" by certain �individuals, institutions and media houses� to present the Service in a light that would portray it as "incompetent, incapable, and unauthoritative, so as to discredit it in the eyes of well-meaning people". A statement signed by the Acting Director of Public Affairs DSP Cephas Arthur accused a section of the media of presenting normal incidents in Police Services and Forces the world over as rare event, in order to scorn the Ghana Police Service, and also for their own ulterior motives. "However, we want to assure the good people of this country that we, as a Service, will not be daunted by this campaign, but will rather resist such attempts with all the legitimate force we can marshal," the statement said. Below is the full statement issued by the Ghana Police Service citing some of the hate campaigns against them. POLICE UNDER ATTACK The Police Service Act 350/70 establishes the Ghana Police Service to provide security in the country. This mandate enjoins the Ghana Police Service to ensure that there is peace and a congenial atmosphere in the country for people to go about their social, economic, political and religious activities. To ensure the attainment of this objective, the Police: 1. Maintain law and order, 2. Protect lives and property, 3. Prevent and detect crimes, 4. Apprehend and prosecute offenders and 5. Dully enforce all laws with which the Service is charged. The Police have, with the collaboration of their sister security agencies, acquitted themselves creditably over the years. There have been some challenges, though, which the Service has acknowledged and taken steps to remedy. Over the years some individuals, institutions and media houses have sought to denigrate the Police Service for their own ulterior motives and for political considerations. These people have failed to appreciate the fact that the Police Service is for the whole state, and not for any particular government, and that the Service has survived different political dispensations since the colonial days. The new trend of onslaught on the Police is to present the Service in a light that would portray it as incompetent, incapable, and unauthoritative, so as to discredit it in the eyes of well-meaning people in this all important election year. To this end some media houses have presented normal incidents in Police Services and Forces the world over as rare event, in order to scorn the Ghana Police Service. It is common the world over that, in line of duty Police officers encounter situations where struggle ensues between themselves and other people or law breakers. In these struggles, invariably, Police officers sometimes fall down. This does not raise eye-brows. However some journalists and media houses in Ghana would want the unfortunate incident that happened at the Kotoka International Airport, where a scuffle ensued between an Airport security officer and a policeman, where the policeman fell down, look as something unheard of. I wonder whether there is any country where such a spectacle does occur from time to time. Before that incident a section of the Ghanaian media had published an alleged slapping of a police officer by a District Chief Executive. Though the incident has been denied by both the officer and the alleged perpetrator, the Daily Guide newspaper seems bent on proving that it occurred. What the perpetrators of this campaign seem to be oblivious of is the fact that, this is the only Police Service we have, and when we launch a hate campaign against it and discredit it, we, as a people, stand to lose in the end. However, we want to assure the good people of this country that we, as a Service, will not be daunted by this campaign, but will rather resist such attempts with all the legitimate force we can marshal. To all those who fall foul of the law, we advise that they submit themselves peacefully, and not resist arrest, as the Police would adopt any means within the confines of the law to prevail. Furthermore, the Police will continue to work hard to protect lives and property in line with our mandate for the good of all in the country.