Independent C?ttee To Probe Police Shooting Incidents

A Five-member independent committee has been inaugurated by the Minister of the Interior to investigate the circumstances that led to the police shooting and killing four persons in Dansoman on Friday, April 21, and the killing of a 26-year-old man at Kotobabi on Friday May 19, 2006.

The committee has Justice J. C. Amonoo-Money, a retired judge of the Court of Appeal and a former Director of Public Prosecutions, as the chairman.

Other members are Prof. Florence Dolphyne, Rev Father Samuel Batsa, National Catholic Secretariat; Mrs Janet Naakalee Amegatcher, a private legal practitioner, and Mr Mumuni Abdulai Bawumai of the MOI, who would also act as secretary to the committee.

Apart from investigating the circumstances leading to the killings, the committee, according to the Mr Kan-Dapaah, would also determine the identities and backgrounds of the deceased and make appropriate recommendations to the minister.

It would also advise the Minister of the Interior on any other issues relating to the incident which would forestall similar incidents from recurring in the future.
The committee has a month to submit its report to the government.

Inaugurating the committee, the minister, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah said the government had taken cognisance of all the concerns of the public and other partners which were raised in the aftermath of the two incidents, hence the setting up of the independent committee to unravel the truth.

He was hopeful that the committee would be given the necessary support and co-operation by the public in order to establish the truth.

The Chairman of the committee, Justice Amonoo-Money, asked for the co-operation of the public for the successful discharge of their duty.

He said they would carry out their work without fear, favour affection or ill will, adding that their desire in the course of their work was for the truth to be established.