Independent body must fight mistrust between police and the public – Public Security Bureau

General News of Monday, March 18, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-03-18

The Public Security Bureau calls for the establishment of an independent police complaints body to deal with police misconduct issues and to act accordingly. .

The Bureau believes that this will help restore public confidence in the police.

After a series of public incidents highlighting a trend of mutual disrespect of citizens for human rights and freedoms for the police, BPS said that if the problem was not "emergency treaty", public calm and public order would be paralyzed. threatening our democratic development. "

The incidents identified by the Public Security Bureau are the attack of three journalists of the Ghanaian Times newspaper by police officers in Accra and the verbal attack against the commander of the Central Regional Police at the University of Winneba Education by Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

Also, physical badault of a policeman in Weija by a commercial bus driver and his train conductor.

According to the Public Security Bureau, these incidents are indicative of a failure of the establishment and the lack of reliable systems allowing the public to file complaints about the behavior of agents of police.

These "incidents are symptomatic of a serious institutional failure and the lack of systems offering civilian hearings, in an environment of trust with confidence badurance that will make it possible to trust the need to lodge complaints and to Hope for a fair hearing ".

He added that the police must at all times be attentive to the needs and expectations of the public and use its authority to act in the public interest.

"Public trust and confidence in the police are prerequisites for effective policing. Without this trust, the public will not be willing to cooperate with the police in the performance of their duty and may continue to physically challenge their authority to enforce the law, thereby compromising public tranquility and undermining our democratic experience. The Public Security Bureau calls for the creation of an independent police complaints body to deal with police misconduct cases and to act accordingly.

The Bureau believes that this will help restore public confidence in the police.

After a series of public incidents highlighting a trend of mutual disrespect of citizens for human rights and freedoms for the police, BPS said that if the problem was not "emergency treaty", public calm and public order would be paralyzed. threatening our democratic development. "

The incidents identified by the Public Security Bureau are the attack of three journalists of the Ghanaian Times newspaper by police officers in Accra and the verbal attack against the commander of the Central Regional Police at the University of Winneba Education by Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

Also, physical badault of a policeman in Weija by a commercial bus driver and his train conductor.

According to the Public Security Bureau, these incidents are indicative of a failure of the establishment and the lack of reliable systems allowing the public to file complaints about the behavior of agents of police.

These "incidents are symptomatic of a serious institutional failure and the lack of systems offering civilian hearings, in an environment of trust with confidence badurance that will make it possible to trust the need to lodge complaints and to Hope for a fair hearing ".

He added that the police must at all times be attentive to the needs and expectations of the public and use its authority to act in the public interest.

"Public trust and confidence in the police are prerequisites for effective policing. Without this trust, the public will not be willing to cooperate with the police in the performance of their duty and may continue to physically challenge their authority to enforce the law, thereby compromising public tranquility and undermining our democratic experience. ", Added the Office of the public statement.