There is an almost institutionalized culture of police tampering with evidence – Kwesi Aning

The director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) says Ghana’s police service has an almost institutionalized culture of tampering with evidence.

Prof Kwesi Aning said the Service, which should place great emphasis on record keeping for prosecution and be the basis for critical decision-making, is being changed.

Speaking to Samson Lardy Anyenini on JoyNews News File, On Saturday, the security expert said the phenomenon is one of the many reasons the public does not seem to trust the police department.

“The Ghana Police Service has a historic ability to falsify information to such an extent that it is impossible for a professional to differentiate between the forged document and the original document. I am quoting the Tibiru report from 1986.

“Commissioner Tibiru has been tasked with examining the nature and extent of forgery and crimes within the Ghana Police Service, particularly in relation to examinations, promotions and demotion.

“So what we’re talking about in 2018, and the investment van problem has a long history. An almost institutionalized culture of falsifying lies and presenting evidence which, upon close examination, can be torn apart, ”he said.

His comments follow what may appear to be a worsening security situation in parts of the country.

It was first in Ejura, where soldiers shot dead two demonstrators and injured four others, demonstrating the murder of Ibrahim “Kaaka” Mohammed, a social activist and member of the #FixTheCountry movement, who was beaten to death. by unidentified people.

Within 72 hours, another group of soldiers went on a rampage in Wa County, brutalizing residents after claiming that a cell phone belonging to one of them had been stolen.

According to Professor Aning, the refusal of the security services and their political masters to engage citizens has resulted in the brutalities recorded in recent times.

He believes that citizens’ experiences and observations should be an integral part of intelligence gathering by the police and military.

Professor Aning also questioned police intelligence that led to the arrest of some 215 people linked to the Jamestown bullion van attack.

He said, “Are all these people linked to a crime? If they were, then the quality of police intelligence is not only false, but non-existent. Precisely because by undertaking such a mission, each additional person who learns of the operation raises the possibility of flight.

He also criticized the Service for going public and thereby risking the life of an individual with CCTV footage of the criminals who attacked and killed the policeman and another.

The security expert further said that the Service’s desperation to present results in dealing with crimes reveals its weak capacity.

The director of the faculty of academic affairs and research at KAIPTC called for the intervention of the police council and the parliamentary committee of defense and interior to strengthen confidence in the security agency.

Professor Aning, however, admits that it will take a lot of hard work to remedy the institutional failure and for the police department to gain the trust of the general public.