The Director of Policy Engagement and Partnership at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) says the Ghana Police Service has no excuse to cower in the face of political violence.
Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante insists that no vigilante group can withstand a police force that is determined to uphold the law.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, July 14, following violent scenes during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, he stressed that what happened raised deep concerns about security and law enforcement ahead of the upcoming Akwatia by-election.
“For the police, first, the objective was to de-escalate, but at some point, they just decided that they were not going to interfere. That makes everybody insecure in this country,” he said in response to reports of police inaction at the polling stations.
Dr. Asante argued that the conduct of some officers reflected long-standing issues that have been well documented.
“These things have been catalogued. We know the kinds of incentives that drive the police to behave in one way—trying to secure their jobs, trying to avoid transfers, trying to be victimised,” he noted.
[embedded content]He lamented the harsh realities officers often face when they take risks to enforce the law.
“Sometimes you try to step in, and even when you are hurt, you might not even get the kind of treatment that you need as a human being. You might be maimed, and nobody will care about you. This is fundamental,” he said.
However, he was unequivocal in his belief that political thugs cannot override the power of a willing police force.
“There is no way NPP or NDC, whether vigilantes or whatever, can stand against the full might of the state power or the state control of violence, nobody. If the police want to do their work, no group of vigilantes can stand against that,” Dr. Asante insisted.
He questioned whether the problem lay with political interference rather than police capacity.
“So if there’s some problem with the police being able to do their job, we should know. Is it interference? I didn’t say they can’t do their job, and because somebody is ordering them not to,” he said.
Dr. Asante called for urgent action from the Police Council.
“That’s why we asked the Police Council, which has control and direction over the police, to make an inquiry. It’s not just finding the perpetrators—I think that’s a very first important step to changing this course—but we need to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
He warned that the threat of violence is not limited to Akwatia.
“I’m glad that you are focusing on Akwatia, but it’s even beyond Akwatia,” he concluded.
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