28% of Ghanaians said they trusted police — Afrobarometer

A new survey conducted by Afrobarometer across 39 African countries has found that Ghanaians have a low level of trust in their police force.

The Afrobarometer report released on Monday, January 29, revealed that Ghana ranked 33rd out of the 39 countries surveyed in terms of citizens' levels of trust in the police.

Only 28% of Ghanaians said they trusted the police "somewhat" or "a lot" according to the survey results.

Topping the trust rankings were Tanzania at 79% and Niger at 77%, followed closely by Senegal at 77% and Burkina Faso at 71% with the last on the rankings being Nigeria with only 15% of citizens trusting the force.

Many Ghanaians surveyed cited issues of police corruption, brutality, lack of professional conduct and involvement in criminal activities as reasons for their lack of trust.

Across the countries surveyed, over a third reported that police "often" or "always" use excessive force, especially in dealing with protests and suspected criminals.

In Ghana, 40% of respondents said police often use excessive force with criminals.

Over a third of Ghanaians said they had to pay a bribe to police in order to receive assistance or avoid problems during encounters.

Corruption appears to have severely damaged the reputation of the Ghana police in the eyes of the public.

The Afrobarometer report indicates that countries with more trusted police tended to have citizens who perceived them as acting professionally and respecting their rights.

They were also more likely to give their governments higher marks for tackling crime.

The survey lasted between 2021 and 2023.