Commentary on Police shoot-out with armed robbers

The Ghana Police Service is one institution that has not received favorable appraisal anytime issues bordering on their activities become topical. Personnel of the service have always come under a barrage of attacks for their acts and inactions. Issues like unlawful arrests, manhandling crime suspects and accusations of extortions from Motorists and members of the public are some of the criticisms against the police. And what about the litany cases pending in the courts?

Obviously they fault of the police because of delayed investigations. All these have put the Ghanaian Police in a negative light. Infact, the Police never seizes to be in the news. They are either on the front pages, the centre spreads or back pages of News Papers or the leading headlines on the airwaves. But the service should have something to smile about. Because, like Dr. Maya Angelou said “Now we know that we know nothing”.

For the Ghanaian Police, it was bad publicity all the time. But what we know now is that they are working their socks off to ensure that Ghanaians go to bed without any let or hindrance. What with all these engagements with armed robbers whether in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale or Takoradi. The police are indeed doing a yeoman's job and need to be appreciated and supported to stamp out violent robberies and indeed all manner of robberies.

President Mills could not have put it any less when he personally expressed his appreciation to the service in its determination to weed out the misfits in our society. The fact is that, the latest shoot-out with robbers might not have endeared personnel to human rights activists. But what with all the murder of innocent citizens by these cabal of criminals. The grotesque pictures of dead of armed robbers flashed now and then on the front pages of newspapers and on the screens of Television sets are indeed not the perfect images for one to wake up to. But as one popular Akan adage goes, “if the baby would not allow its parents to sleep at night, it will all also not escape the enema”.

No one can deny the plain truth that armed robbers have for sometime been scaring the lives out of ordinary Ghanaians. And those who advocate their rights, they might  want to come face to face with the robbery reality, before shedding their human rights cloth, with regards to robbers. No one is denying that some innocent lives might fall victim to these shoot outs. But as the Interior Minister noted on Yesterday's meet – the – press in Accra the police could do nothing less if confronted with hail of bullets flying from all angles.

The task on hand, is indeed herculean. But having said that, it is pertinent the police take on board some of the criticisms against them and exercise some level of circumspection in order to save innocent lives. Incidents like Kumasi shoot-out in other parts of the world would necessitate the setting – up of independent commission of enquiry that will make recommendations to modify tactics alongside tackling the issue head-on. Though we are yet to have one like that it still does not take away the fact that the police, particularly the anti-armed robbery squad has done and continue to do a good job.

In expressing his satisfaction, President Mills also called for support, saying the success of the exercise will depend largely on public's collaboration. The public must know that the police are putting their lives in the firing line to protect US. Common sense dictates that therefore, Common Sense dictates that the public reciprocates the gesture by volunteering information that will make easy the arrest and prosecution of criminals. It is only then would we share off such shoot-outs now and in the future.

We will also be spared all the hassle to explain who did what? Unfortunately we are not out of the woods yet because of pockets of reports of robbers here and then. What it means it that, while the police map out strategies to combat their activities, the robbers try to go a step ahead to outwit the police. Interestingly we have not tried to find out why people go into robberies. Unemployment might be one of their immediate causes. Whilst we work to tackle their activities, let us also try to go to the roots of the problem. Then we can reduce the number of deviants who eventually turn into dangerous robbers.

By: Edmond Tetteh, Radio News Desk of GBC