Presidential Staffer, Dr. Clement Apak, has questioned a system where police officers in the southern parts of the country, who are deemed to have acted unprofessionally, are transferred to the Northern parts of the country as punishment.

Dr Apak's comments follow reports that police officers who may have misconducted themselves in a total of four jailbreaks in Ashanti and Volta regions may be transferred to various posts in the other parts of the country.

Public Relations Officer in the region, ASP Mohammed Tanko confirmed to Joy News that the transfers are to serve as a warning to other officers that negligence will not go unpunished.

However, speaking on Joy FM’s news analysis programme, Newsfile, on Saturday, Dr Apak said instead of the transfers, the erring police officers should be sanctioned.

"If that means that they should be dismissed, they should be dismissed", he stressed.

Dr Apak adds: "I say this with a lot of pain that they are being transferred to the northern parts of this country. Even before this [latest report] I have had several complaints about how persons serving in one way or the other in the public and civil services, when they misconduct themselves, rather than facing the full force of the code of ethics of their profession they are actually transferred to the northern parts of this country. So in this particular case I am hoping that these officers who have been deemed not to have conducted themselves well are not going to be sent to [the northern parts of the country]"

There have been four jail-breaks over a period of just three months – the most recent being at Asiwa in the Ashanti Region where two suspects escaped.

Most of the jailbreaks have been blamed largely on police negligence and unprofessional conduct.