Police Officers Fret Over Interference

A NUMBER of police officers and their retired seniors have expressed opprobrium about the politicization of policing in the country in recent times citing the tendency of the administration to pander to the whims of politicians as unfortunate and portentous. Their worries stem from the recent ACP Awuni Angwubutoge versus former Greater Accra Regional Minister and the ensuing demand by National Democratic Congress (NDC) Regional Chairman, Ade Coker that the police officer be punished via a transfer from his current office. A retired ACP for instance wondered what kind of police service we intend bequeathing to as he put it �future generations if a party chairman would be allowed to dictate to the Chief Constable how to manage this security organization and obviously to the detriment of the security of the nation.� Continuing he said �the whole world is watching how the IGP is going to respond to this weird demand and the one from the Ashanti Regional branch of the party regarding Superintendent Kwesi Ofori,� he said. Last week�s press conference by the Greater Accra regional branch of the party was the culmination of a series of meetings on the issue and even though the decision to picket in front of the headquarters of the MTTU as put out by the party chairman failed to fly, it did send an ominous signal about how the ruling political party continues to interfere in policing. The spirit of most police officers has been dealt a terrible blow by recent events especially the abandoning of Superintendent Kwesi Ofori to the wolves of the NDC when the officer sought to quell the rising incidence of registration centre indiscipline. It is not likely that the police administration would pander to the demands of the Greater Accra regional branch of the NDC. Should the unthinkable happen though and ACP Awuni Angwubutoge is transferred as demanded by Ade Coker and Superintendent Kwesi Ofori also, it would deal a worrying impact on morale in this regimented organization.