The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is calling for the restructuring of the appointment of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to be based on merit and not political affiliation to ensure professionalism.

Speaking Wednesday on Adom FM’s “Burning Issues” programme hosted by Listowel Kwadwo Fordjour, Programme Officer of CDD-Ghana, Paul Mensah Abrampa, said because the police is not autonomous in the appointment of heads of key positions of the service, their work seems dogged with a lack of professional conduct by personnel.

“I think the appointment structure of the IGP and other heads needs to be reviewed because such appointees are mostly afraid to carry out their duties because of political interferences which makes their work very difficult,” the senior fellow at CDD stated.

He adds: “once the appointment of the IGP is political, it will be very difficult for them to carry out their duty without political manipulations and interferences. But we need an independent IGP to carry out their mandate.”

An encounter two weeks ago with ‘Let My Vote Count Alliance’ demonstrators have called their professionalism into question. 

Riot police beat and arrested several protestors after they defied an injunction order requiring them to use only specified routes.

The protesters were marching to the Electoral Commission as part of their advocacy to demand a new voters’ register.

The peaceful demonstration turned chaotic after the protesters were reportedly lured to divert from the approved route into the waiting arms of police. A 36 year old man, Justice Adzakuma, lost an eye after he was hit by a stray rubber bullet said to have been fired by the police in an attempt to control the crowd.

Abrampa Mensah also noted that a lack of refresher training courses for personnel of the Ghana Police Service with current technologies is affecting their day to day activities to carry out their mandate.

According to him, several police officers are still using the colonial tactics in their line of duty but he believes that it was about time things changed.

Appointment of the Inspector General of Police involves the President of the state making the appointment in consultation with the Council of State. Mensah Abrampa says this must be reviewed.