THERE 'S NO TENSION AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS

26/03/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
THE Police Administration has denied that there is tension at the Police Headquarters.
It said it was also untrue that the police had failed to carry out instructions given by the Kojo Armah Committee to arrest a businessman, which had led to tension at the Police Headquarters.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, told a news conference in Accra yesterday that the Police Administration had also not been asked to interdict any officer.
The news conference was in reaction to media publications that there was tension at the Police Headquarters.
DSP Ofori said there was no tension over the creation of the Police Research Department (PORD).
“PORD was not an instant creation; it was decided and established to specific terms of reference to meet the contemporary needs of the police in crime intelligence,” he explained, adding that the proposal to create the department was made in 2007 following representations made to the Police Council to undertake research work that would benefit the service.
DSP Ofori said Chief Superintendent Adu-Amankwah, who was the Head of the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of the Ghana police Service, was asked to co-ordinate, leading to the proper structure and organisation of PORD.
According to him, chief Supt Adu-Amankwah was heading both the OCU and PORD but it was observed that he could not combine the two offices when PORD was ready to take off.
He said the OCU had itself been restructured and re-organised and that other officers had been asked to supervise the two units, Narcotics and Human Trafficking, while the Director of CID, Operations, would exercise day-to-day supervision over the OCU.
“The fact must not be lost that it was at the instance of the Police Administration that the Ghana Standards Board was invited to test the drugs in our exhibit stores following suspicions based on credible information,” he said.
DSP Ofori said there was ample evidence to show that the Police Administration had given maximum co-operation to facilitate the work of the committee by making available officers invited before the committee.
He said the police had kept the public informed about the issues right from the onset and intended not to hold any information from them.
DSP Ofori said the Police Administration did not intend to comment on the findings and procedures of the committee at this stage because the committee was yet to finish its work.
“It is hoped that the leaks that have appeared in sections of the press in the last four weeks have not emanated from the members of the committee itself,” he noted.
The Public Affairs Director urged the media not to engage in discussions, innuendoes and outright insults in the absence of a published and certified report of the committee.
“When the committee’s findings are made public, any police officer may then be in the position to comment on or challenge aspects of or all of the findings of the committee,” he said, saying that “at this moment, the hands of our officers are tied and we urge members of the press not to conduct trial by the media”.