Police Service should not be blamed for recruitment scam- Baako Jnr

Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper Kweku Baako has said the recent police recruitment scam that saw hundreds of people reporting at police training schools across the country should not be blamed on the service.

He said the service could only be blamed if investigations into the issue revealed that some officers were involved in the scam.

Until then the service should not be seen as a weak institution or be blamed for the scam, he added.

Speaking on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Mr Baako said there was no way the police service was going to facilitate an enlistment into the service through the scam.

He admitted that even though the scam portrays a breach in police intelligence, the situation could happen even in the most resourced institution.

“No matter how well resourced and organised an intelligence network is, there are occasional failures and there are times they do not get it. The most important thing is that the enlistment did not take place.

“You cannot have an absolute intelligence anywhere. It is not possible…you won't get it anywhere, there are bound to be loop holes”, he added.

Mr Baako said he believes that the issue was being “overrated” and that he does not think it is as serious as it IS being made to be.

He noted that investigations should be conducted and the culprits arrested and appropriately punished.

Lessons should also be learnt from the situation and the police service must find ways to perfect its intelligence network to avert future occurrences, he added.

Hundreds of young men and women turned up at five police training depots last Saturday for enlistment into the Ghana Police Service.

They said they had received recruitment letters from the service only to find out that it was a recruitment scam.

Police in Kumasi, Koforidua, Pwalugu, Accra and Ho had a hectic time sending away the victims, most of whom were university graduates.

The police have mounted an intensive search for the persons who are behind the recruitment scam.

According to the Director General in charge of the Press and Public Affairs Department of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Rev David Nenyi Ampah-Benin, the scam was so well organised that all the victims were given appointment letters purported to have been written by the police.

He said all the victims of the scam reported at the same time at the various depots with their luggage to start training.

He said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the service had launched full-scale investigations into the scam to establish the masterminds of the crime.

DCOP Ampah-Benin said the victims were said to have paid money ranging from GH¢2,000 to GH¢3,500 to the fraudsters.

So far about fourteen (14) persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the fraudulent police recruitment exercise.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Alhassan made the disclosure when he and his team appeared before Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee on Tuesday. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | [email protected]