The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has warned that the erosion of cultural values weakens society’s natural resistance to crime.
According to him, this forces law enforcement agencies to shoulder responsibilities that traditionally belonged to community norms and moral upbringing.
“When culture is strong, crime struggles to breathe. When culture collapses, law enforcement is forced to compensate,” the Asantehene said while delivering his keynote address during a visit to the Ghana Police Service Headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II traced the roots of law and order in Ghana to long before the advent of modern policing, stressing that African societies had well-established systems of discipline and social control even before colonial rule.
“As I have already mentioned, the Ghana Police Service is one of the legacies of our colonial past. But long before the first police uniform was sewn, communities had learned how to live together,” he said.
“Before courts were built, disputes were settled. Before statutes were written, wrong was already understood. Custom was the first law. Culture was the first constitution.”
He explained that traditional values instilled restraint, responsibility and a sense of collective accountability, shaping conduct long before crime could take root.
“In those days, a child feared disappointing an elder more than facing authority. A man thought twice before wrongdoing, not because of arrest, but because shame would outlive him,” Otumfuo noted. “Conduct was shaped long before crime could take root.”
The Asantehene cautioned that no amount of policing, regardless of resources or discipline, could fully compensate for a society that has lost its moral compass.
“No number of officers, no matter how disciplined, no matter how well-equipped, can replace a society that has lost its moral compass,” he said, adding that law enforcement works best where people already believe in protecting one another.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said his engagement with the Ghana Police Service leadership, particularly Inspector-General of Police Mr Tetteh Yohuno, was aimed at rekindling conversations around the critical link between culture and policing.
He praised the IGP for his appreciation of history and tradition, noting that colonial authorities themselves relied heavily on traditional rulers to maintain domestic law and order.
“Indeed, you know that the British were content to make domestic law and order a joint function between law enforcement and traditional rulers,” he said.
The Asantehene urged a renewed partnership between cultural institutions and the police, stressing that sustainable peace and security depend as much on strong cultural values as on effective law enforcement.
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