The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the approach the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is taking to ensure there is peace over some comments between the two main political parties.

Speaking in an interview on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, Mr Mustapha Gbande said George Akufo Dampare is not expected to take up the mediation role, stating “it is not his place to do so.”

“The Police Service is not a palace neither is the IGP a chief to be mediating crimes. You cannot mediate crimes,” he said.

According to him, it is the police's duty to arrest.

“The Suame young man made comments the police feel was not proper in accordance with the law, they invited him, cautioned him and arraigned him before a court and that is acceptable.

“Bryan Acheampong made similar comments. Comments that are more dangerous come from a more dangerous person who has the capacity to carry out what he has said and the IGP is saying that he passed the evidence through his theatre.

"What theatre? There is no theatre other than the law. The law is that you should charge the person, investigate and put the matter before the court,” he emphasised.

Mr Gbande’s agitation comes after Police Service engaged the two major political parties on two new security measures instituted to help maintain the peace as the country nears the 2024 general election.

The police informed the political parties about the two strategic interventions introduced to handle elections and all politically related incidents.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/do-your-politics-and-let-us-handle-our-policing-police-tells-npp-ndc/

But responding to the statement from the police, Mr Gbande said although the IGP ought to be commended for his initiative, it “is not in the IGP’s place to be finding other measures to handle a crime.”

This, he explained is because there are already known mechanisms of how crimes should be handled.

He cited one as “required to make a formal complaint or a petition when offensive conduct is made that has the tendency of being exclusive as against the Public Order Act. Two - such a person [Bryan Acheampong] ought to be invited by the police.

He added that the police should not adopt a reconciliatory approach but rather invite the suspect because the two parties are not at loggerheads with each other.

“We are a very friendly force. The NPP and the NDC are brothers and crime is a crime. You must treat crime distinct from how you handle political parties,” he said.

Mr Gbande, therefore, described the police’s approach as a scheme to equalise issues.