THE POLICE REQUIRE OUR SUPPORT

REPORTS that four policemen have been killed in quite bizarre circumstances over the last 10 days must be condemned by all peace-loving Ghanaians. This development tends to send the signals, rightly or wrongly, that members of the public are losing confidence in the police and have taken their frustrations on the peace officers.
It is the expectation of the DAILY GRAPHIC that the killings are isolated cases and not the trend in police-public relations.
Modern policing is a shared responsibility between police personnel and members of the public, without whose collaboration crime prevention or detection will achieve little result. This collaboration is about working with people to deliver the services that will secure society from the activities of criminals. It is an undeniable fact that image and rapport are difficult to build but just a slip can bring down the reputation that has been put together over the years.
Technological innovations and advancement, particularly the advent of the Internet, have turned criminal activities into a very sophisticated business. Cross-border crimes and cyber fraud are on the ascendancy because of the rapid development of communication technology. Thus geographical distances are practically no longer felt but free flow of information regarding any organisation and its policies is one of the basic conditions for the long-term success of any human endeavour, especially for institutions like the police, which are constantly under the critical eyes of the public.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, has bemoaned the increasing attack on policemen performing their legitimate duties and appealed to the public to support the police to flush out the criminals bent on making the work of security agencies very difficult.
Receiving a cheque for ¢10 million from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra yesterday in fulfilment of the pledge the GJA made to reward whoever would provide information that would lead to the arrest of the killers of Samuel Best Ennin, the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GJA, in January this year, Mr Adu-Poku decried the impunity with which some miscreants had killed the four policemen.
Sometimes the actions of a few policemen bring the name of the Ghana Police Service into disrepute, but in many instances the police have performed their duties to the admiration of all. It is understandable when members of the public raise their voices against the unprofessional attitude of the police. Of course, the people must talk about the limitations of the police, but they must also commend the police when praise is due.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that all Ghanaians have a shared responsibility to fight crime to secure our shared future. The challenges of crime combat and the negative attitude of some policemen notwithstanding, the country has a great opportunity to inspire the Police Service to discharge its duties with expertise. This requires that the resourcing of the service, which began in earnest when the Kufuor administration took office, is updated to ensure that all police stations and personnel have the logistics to fight crime.
We are of the opinion that the people can rise above the shadow of gloom that appears to have taken over the country as a result of the increasing crime rate through improved police-public partnership to take the fight to the criminals. Working together for the common good is the best way to create a new and inspiring sense of national security and unity.