The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has noted with horror and shock, a video circulating on social media of a Police Officer assaulting a woman holding a baby which allegedly occurred at a bank.
The NCCE condemns this barbaric act of police brutality in no uncertain terms.
The Commission wishes to state that, this heinous act is outrageous, unacceptable and an affront to the dignity and fundamental human rights of the victim and the baby. It undermines our democracy and the rule of law.
The cruelty and brutality of the police officer further breaches provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
Articles 12 (1) states that: “The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and all other organs of government and its agencies and 15 (1) states that: “The dignity of all persons shall be inviolable”.
The NCCE whilst expressing empathy to the victim and her family calls on the Ministry of Interior, the Ghana Police Service and all appropriate agencies to investigate the matter swiftly and bring the perpetrators to book.
In a statement, the NCCE urged that the “victim should be compensated for the physical and psychological trauma that she has suffered.
“In our current democratic dispensation, we must not allow such elements of violence and individuals with barbaric tendencies shrouded in police uniform to cause the citizenry to lose confidence in the Ghana Police. We acknowledge the efforts of the Police administration over the years to achieve not only high professional standards but also a world class policing. It is unfortunate that some deviants in the service continue to erode the enviable gains made so far by most exceptionally good police officers. The increasing police brutality must be hemmed immediately to avoid ‘mob justice’.”
The NCCE reiterated the need for the citizenry to respect and uphold the fundamental human rights of all persons to promote constitutionalism in Ghana.