Police defend mass arrests in swoops

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The Tema Regional Police commander DCOP John Kudalor has defended the practice of mass arrests and the parading of suspected criminals on camera as a necessary evil.

The practice has been condemned by rights advocates as an affront to human dignity.

But the police commander in an interview with Joy News on Friday contends that suspected criminals must be paraded for the victims of those crimes to assist in identifying those criminals.

He said the police do not have the luxury of separating innocent people from criminals when they embark on mass arrests but added that the police conducted thorough screening exercises once they get to the police station.

He said the police have adopted “proactive policing” aimed at preventing crimes rather than investigating them, adding that mass arrests form a key component in this strategy.

Kojo Graham, Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Civil Liberties in reaction to earlier submissions by the police commander said even though mass arrests may be paramount to policing, the practice was detrimental to some innocent victims.

He claimed, people are sometimes remanded in police custody for years just because they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He bemoaned the practice of screaming headlines in the media against suspected criminals adding, the presumption of innocence that is to be accorded these suspected criminals is taken away.

DCOP Kudalor however disputed claims that suspected criminals arrested through swoops are remanded for years without prosecution.

He said people are sent to court only when there is evidence. “What charges are we going to level against him in court, that we arrested him in a swoop”? he quizzed.

Story by Nathan Gadugah