Letter To The President: The Police Are Dying Whilst All Stakeholders Are Looking On With No Interest

TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
FLAGSTAFF HOUSE, ACCRA

Dear Mr. President

THE POLICE ARE DYING WHILST ALL STAKEHOLDERS ARE LOOKING ON WITH NO INTEREST.

I write to you from Peki in the Volta Region. I am a young Police lance corporal stationed there. I write this letter because I am gripped with fear of death. There is a situation in the police which currently demands your attention and quick interventions else more lives will be wasted whilst the state looks on. I have at least served in the police for some seven and half years so I can confidently tell you that I am abreast with situations in the Police. I know by the time I finish writing this letter to you, I may have been taken through some service enquiries leading to my dismissal and if I am spared at all, I may be transferred to the remotest place in Ghana where the sun never shines. I may be charged with doing an act which brings the name of the service into disrepute contrary to regulation 82(iv) of C.I 76 (Police Service Regulations 2012). It will surprised you that writing a letter to my own president will attract sanctions but that is the order of the day in the police so we will put up with it. We are very quick to be punish under the C.I 76 than be given the benefits that the C.I 76 prescribes but I will leave that one to a later date. In my next writing to you, whether I still remain in the police or not, I will write extensively on how the C.I 76 is largely ignored to the detriment of we the junior ranks but today I want to go straight to the point and be very brief as well so spare me just some few minutes of your time. I know we are in election year but please for the sake of God and country, kindly bear with me and grant me some audience.

Mr. President the police are dying. Almost every day a police officer dies through the gun of an armed robber or through some kind of violent death especially this year. We are dying but it appears nothing is done about it because there is this notion that there are thousands and one youths out there who want to join the police. Should that be the case? Should the police be the quickest avenue to waste our youths? It is very sad my President. Life in the police can be compared to prisoners on death roll with an unknown executioner. You wake up in the morning and fear of death grips you because your colleagues are dying through the bullets of robbers. Though we are personnel of a giant security service like the police, there seems to be no strategic solution to the everyday killings of the police especially the junior ranks. One will wonder why trained police officers are being mulled by unskilled armed robbers but that is a question that I will leave to the police administration to answer but in my clueless opinion, I know training and retraining coupled with required accoutrements will enhance efficiency which is likely to win the war over robberies. Those of us in the villages are worse off Mr. President. We are still fighting robberies with knowledge that some of our senior colleagues acquired some 20 years ago whilst new forms of threats and risks keep emerging every day. If you complain, they tell you to use your discretion. Which discretion should we use to the fight the robbers? Discretion not to go to robbery scenes after you have an information that some poor innocent Ghanaians are suffering in the hands of unscrupulous armed robbers? It places questions on the oath we took as police officers but which discretion are they talking about? Life in the police is nothing apart from providence. Very little is done to protect us to protect the nation. Who cares if a police officer dies? I know you are the only one who cares that is why I am writing to you against all odds.

Mr. President, the killings in the police is creating a situation that needs your serious attention. Many young and energetic gallant men have had their lives shortened whilst serving their country Ghana and in the end, their wives and children are neglected by both the state and the police administration. Our wives are being widowed at the ages of 20, 25 or at most 35. Our children are increasingly becoming fatherless. There is always a neglect for the family of a police officer who died in the course of duty. I have once witnessed a situation where young constable who was shot by armed robbers entitlements were not paid to the family after 10 good years. Some children eventually drop out of school because their fathers have been killed by armed robbers. Most of these children are likely to become social misfits who may even end up joining the armed robbers and also to ensure that they kill somebody's father so that his children end up just like them. Their wives are ejected from barracks few months after their husbands have died. The rooms are needed for new police officers who are likely to end up like their colleagues. The situations is very bad Mr. President.

I promised to be very brief though I have lot to say but going forward into the near future, I want to see your quick interventions as to how the incessant killings of the police will be reduced or if possible be stopped completely. I do not know how possible it is but can we have a situation where a very single police officer is insured by the state or police administration? Or can we have a situation where there are funds set aside to take care of children and wives of police officers who die through accidents whilst performing official duties or robbery attacks? There should be ways and means Mr. President to take care of police wives and children if they should die unexpected whilst performing their statutory duties. If nothing at all, impress on the police administration to fully implement the C.I 76. Every welfare situation of the ordinary police can be found it. The sad situation is after a police officer has been killed by armed robbers, they mobilise all the resources at their disposal to organize a grand funeral where all the dignitaries attend. I recently attended one where the Minister for Interior himself was in attendance at Leklebi. I know he will take some lessons for himself.

I know you have good listening hear so I am very confident that I will see something positive soon. Don't keep long Mr. President.

Yours faithfully

L/Cpl Daniel Kwofie (Ahanta)
Ghana Police Service,Peki