IGP, David Asante Apeatu
There is one thing that will make me remember Mr. David Asante Appeatu when he leaves the reigns of the police service as the IGP and that how he has been sincere and honest about the true state of the police service.
He has been very sincere with the true state of the police service more [ads1]than all the past IGPs I know and that is the beginning of how to solve our problems as a country. Once we are sincere and honest with our problems, they have half solved already. The rest is the commitment to our own words and the magic will follow.
We are told during the days of Papa J as the president of the republic, he called an IGP to his office and asked him what does he thinks his men need to work effectively and efficiently? The IGP opened his mouth and said, “my boys are ok. They need nothing”. The president looked at his face and shook his head in disbelieve. He was probably shocked that a whole security organisation like the police service needs nothing. That IGP cannot certainly be Mr. Peter Nanfuri because we are still waiting for an IGP who can equal or surpass the achievements of Mr. Peter Nanfuri and that begins with honesty and sincerity just as Mr. David Asante Appeatu is showing. He might not do enough but he is laying the foundations for a better police service in future by being honest and sincere with the true state of the police service.
Yesterday whilst watching Adom Tv’s Badwamu, Omanhene Kwabena Asante descended heavily on the IGP/Mr. David Asante Appeatu and even called for his resignation because he thinks that this current IGP is not being capable to handle the security situation in this country. This comes after daylight robbery that occurred at somewhere North Industrial Area in Accra a day earlier.
To Omanhene Kwabena Asante, the IGP should resign his position and stop complaining about the logistical challenges and constraints. According to him, many IGPs have come and managed the situation so Mr. David Asante Appeatu should shut up and do same or resign his position.
That is where I have problems with Omanhene Kwabena Asante and how he bashed the IGP yesterday morning. In my honest opinion, Omanhene Kwabena Asante should have hailed Mr. David Asante Appeatu for being sincere and honest with Ghanaians than to receive that early morning bashing from him. I don’t blame Omanhene because he doesn’t understand the situation we have found ourselves in as a police service because past IGPs managed the situation but we the police officers do. The situation is horrible if Omanhene cares to know and not to sit on Tv and bash the IGP.
I was particularly happy that no police officer died at the North Industrial Area daylight robbery. My heart would have broken into pieces because nobody is better than the police officer who lays his life down to combat robberies and other violent crimes. Even after the police officer has died in line of duties, his wife and children are neglected even though the provisions of the C.I 76 requires that at least three children of the police officer should be catered up to any level of education. Police officers are dying because of logistical challenges and constraints so if Mr. David Asante Appeatu is painting the real picture of the police service, it is time to actually add on to his voice than to bash him.
Until the time that Mr. David Asante Appeatu took over the reigns of the police administration, the situation was so bad and that is the reasons why some of us took to social media and other media outlets to raise concerns in the police service. We couldn’t have sat down to watch our colleagues dying in turns till it reaches our turn. In times like these, it’s only a sincere and honest IGP who can turn things around in the police service but not those involved in propaganda to whitewash the challenges confronting them police service.
What almost every IGP and their PROs did were to lie to Ghanaians and give them false hope about the police service. Because they kept on creating the impression that the police service is fully resourced and is in position to protect them and their properties at all cost, Ghanaians have a lot of expectations from the police but behind the scenes, the police service does not have fuel for patrol duties at times. This is where false impression has landed us as a police service so if we have an IGP like Mr. David Asante Appeatu who is being honest with Ghanaians, the likes of Omanhene Kwabena Asante should rather appreciate the struggles of the IGP and call on the government to resource the police adequately so that we can be in position to deliver on our mandate.
I just want to draw the attention of Omanhene to the provisions of the Constitution, article 200(3); the Police Service shall be equipped and maintained to perform its traditional role of maintaining law and order. Here the Constitution makes it clear that before the police service performs it role of maintaining law and order, a condition precedes it and that condition is that, the police service should be equipped and maintained. Until such a time that the police service is adequately equipped and maintained, we will see a lot of these kinds of robberies that has the tendencies to give Omanhene Kwabena Asante and others high blood pressure (BP) so he should bear with the sincerity of the IGP and rather call on the government to resource the police service.
We are in a police service that young police officers who have families like Omanhene died in line of duties because the police officer combats violent crimes like robbery bare chested whilst we have past and succeeding governments who know the real state of the police service and how we face logistical challenges to give Omanhene other Ghanaians relieves but unfortunately they have turned a blind eye to it so if there is an IGP who is being sincere with Ghanaians, we should bear it and support his clarion calls. It’s not that he enjoys whinning like a little school boy who doesn’t want to go to school.
Were are in a police service that we sometimes buy our own uniforms, boots and personal accoutrement to appear smart. Just like I have said it earlier, if Omanhene cares to know, we sometimes use our own monies to buy fuel for police vehicles for patrols duties. The IGP is saying in it rightly and Omanhene Kwabena Asante says what?
I no wan vex this morning. He has started this morning too.
Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III dkwofie17@gmail.com
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