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12.04.2012 NPP

NPP Urges IGP To Resign

By Daily Graphic
Mr Kwadwo Owusu AfriyieMr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie
12.04.2012 LISTEN

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, to honourably resign his position.

It explained that the police chief had shown through his actions and inactions that “he is not on top of the job”.

In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, the IGP was urged to give way to an officer who had the courage and ethics to uphold the constitution and maintain law and order without fear or favour.

The party also served a notice to the IGP that, “if the police will not defend our members who have become victims of violence in the ongoing registration exercise, then we will be compelled to defend ourselves”.

Explaining the rationale behind its call on the IGP to resign, the party said it had noticed with deep concern the string of unfortunate statements being issued by the IGP- the latest being that the police would remain neutral in the discharge of their duties in the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise.

It said that the Police Service have a constitutional duty of maintaining law and order, remaining on the side of the rule of law and dealing decisively with those who threaten the peace and stability of this country.

“Thus far, the police administration’s definition of remaining neutral has been to dissociate itself from district police commanders who try apprehending known criminals bent on causing mayhem and disrupting the ongoing voters registration exercise by placing a bounty on the heads of such criminals.

Remaining neutral had also meant the victimisation of the police officer who defied the status quo by ordering the removal of former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, from a polling station in Klottey-Korle where he was preventing known residents from registering to vote in the December polls” the statement said.

It said what the Inspector General of Police was telling Ghanaians was that his officers should not apprehend anyone who broke the law, so long as that person was a member of the ruling party.

It said the IGP was instructing his officers to stand by and remain “neutral” while perpetrators of violence run riot throughout the country. Moreover, these actions were gradually killing the morale of the peace officers and putting the lives of law abiding Ghanaians at risk.

This statement by the IGP is unfortunate and most unprofessional and he should immediately retract this statement and take concrete steps to reinstate public confidence in the police.

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