It’s unfair, unfortunate; he’s impacted police service — Prof. Gyampo defends Dampare 

Professor Ransford Gyampo, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has defended Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare against criticisms from retired ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo.

Prof. Gyampo has described the remarks as baseless and unwarranted.

In a social media post on Thursday, Professor Gyampo praised Dr. Dampare for his transformative leadership of the Ghana Police Service, which he said has greatly improved the institution’s reputation and effectiveness.

“The above is unfair and unfortunate. Respectfully, even though there’s freedom of speech, it doesn’t lie in the mouth of my respected retired police officer to be saying these,” Gyampo stated.

Professor Gyampo highlighted the IGP’s resilience in navigating challenges, particularly during the recent elections, where his fairness and professionalism were widely lauded.

He credited Dr. Dampare for standing firm against external pressures, including resisting the deployment of soldiers that could have caused confusion at voting centers.

“This is the only IGP who has survived the plot of removal by his own appointing authority for doing his work well. He is the only IGP who could stop the planned massive deployment of soldiers to cause confusion at some voting centres in the just-ended elections,” Gyampo noted.

While acknowledging imperfections in the police service, Gyampo urged critics to offer constructive feedback rather than focusing on minor issues like denied loan approvals for police officers.

“We can call on him to do more to address the challenges, but no one should remove this IGP simply because some loans being asked for by some police officers were refused,” he said.

Gyampo concluded by affirming that “Dr. Dampare’s leadership has set a commendable standard for the Ghana Police Service”, urging continued support for his efforts to reform and elevate the institution.