A Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, James Agalga, has justified the need for the establishment of a bipartisan committee to investigate the alleged involvement of Police officers in recent bullion van robberies in the country.

Speaking in an interview with Evans Mensah on Top Story on Thursday, the legislator explained that, on some occasions, the Police have failed to do a thorough job, when investigating their own internal matters.

According to him, consequently, there have even been attempts to create an independent Police complaints commission, which has not materialised.

Mr. Agalga explained that the bipartisan parliamentary committee will therefore help unravel the truth of the issues, devoid of any influence or tweaking whatsoever.

“Whenever there are allegations of killings with the Police implicated, it is out of place to allow the Police to investigate themselves. And we saw an example of how reports or investigative reports can be cooked when the Police are allowed to investigate themselves. A case in hand is the Asawase shooting incident, which resulted in the death of seven people.

Now in the aftermath of the killings in Asawase, the Police purported to investigate the matter. And the results of the investigation cleared the Police of any wrongdoing. But when there was some public outcry, and the authorities in the Ashanti Region paid heed to the outcry and set up an independent probe, the results were sharply in contrast with what the Police themselves churned out in their investigative report”, he stated.

Earlier on Thursday, the Minority in Parliament filed a private members motion, asking the House to constitute a bipartisan committee to probe the killing of two suspected Police officers who were shot when they led a team of Police officers to the hideout of some accomplices in a bullion van robbery.

On March 9, the death of the two Police officers was announced in a Police statement and confirmed on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show by the Director-General of Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori.

During a raid at Borteyman in Ashiaman to apprehend suspects, there was an exchange of gunshots, and the two Policemen, Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah and Corporal Stephen Kwaku Nyame were shot and pronounced dead on arrival at the Police Hospital where they were rushed to.

Giving further clarification on how the incident happened, DCOP Kwesi Ofori explained that after preliminary investigations were conducted “we [the Police] intensified our investigation, and the two Policemen who were arrested assisted the Police to a location near Ashiaman”, which is believed to be the hideout of the criminals.

The criminals opened fire on the Police during the raid and the Police fired back. In the process, the two suspects sustained injuries and were rushed to the Police Hospital. Subsequently, “they were pronounced dead,” DCOP Kwesi Ofori said.

The Police, however, were able to carry out five more arrests which involved four Policemen and a civilian.

They are Constable Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, Constable Richard Boadu, Constable Rabiu Jambedu, Constable Albert Ofosu, and Suspect, Razak Alhassan, a civilian.