7 policemen under investigations for insulting Kobby Acheampong

Kobby Acheampong

Seven police men are under investigations for misconduct with one alleged to have insulted the deputy Interior Minister Kobby Acheampong.

The deputy Minister told Joy News' Sammy Darko, one of the policemen whom he mentioned as Addisson called him a “stupid man.”

The men, who were on an operation to check road traffic offences accused the deputy minister of driving above speed limits and directed him to pull over- an allegation the deputy minister denied but conceded he overtook one vehicle in front of him.

The incident happened at Mankessim in the Central Region.

The Cape Coast Motor Traffic and Transport Unit Commander, Paul Aduhene said his men have been taken away to the Police Headquarters in Accra.

He said his men claimed to have arrested the minister for speeding and “recorded him above the normal speed.”

He could not however ascertain the veracity of the claim by his subordinates except to say his officers were alleged to have misconducted themselves with one said to have insulted the deputy minister.

Kobby Acheampong told Joy News the men were conducting the operation at an inappropriate location and when he decided to advice them he was insulted by one of them.

“The police had mounted the traffic stop right in the valley and the other side is also a hill. So when I got there I stopped; in fact they stopped me because I overtook the car that was in front of me. And they stopped me. So I stopped and I said why are you guys doing this speed check in this valley?

“…Rather [I told them] to move to a flat stretch of the road where they can see you so that even if you have to break it's a flat stretch and it would not inconvenience anybody.

“…All the response he did was to tell me that I was a stupid man to tell him that,” the minister narrated adding, “so I pulled up and called the IGP”.

He said the men were not supposed to be there in the first place and were using an obsolete radar gun.

When asked how he knew the gun was not working, the deputy minister explained “the speed limit they show to you is the same they show to everybody.”

He denied interfering in the affairs of the police, saying he has oversight responsibility over the police.

Acting Director of Police Public Affairs DSP Cephas Arthur said the men were deemed to have misconducted themselves and were “uncivil to members of the public.”

“Our service instructions enjoin us to be very civil to the members of the public; an offence for which if you contravene you would have committed an offence in police circles."

He said the officers have invited the men and have begun preliminary investigations into the matter.

He said members of the public, like the minister has every right to report any police officer who misconducts him or herself.

It is yet not clear if the deputy minister will be investigated for speeding.

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Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com/Nathan Gadugah