Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Professor of Political Science, Dr. Amakye Boateng has said that the image of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) under the current Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare is sinking
“The challenge that the current IGP has been facing and continues to be high and the image of the police is getting out of hand. The image is not positive”, observed Dr. Amakye Boateng.
The political science professor was responding to a viral video showing a police officer begging a civilian for his life in Axim, in the western region.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service in a statement said it had arrested four members of the gang and said they were involved in extorting money from galamsey sites in Axim, a community in the western region.
The police also claimed that the men seen in the video were robbers.
But the gang’s leader, Kwame Asare Ato, who escaped police arrest and is currently on the run, denied the accusation saying they are not thieves as claimed by state security.
He also revealed that his gang was working in the area with the District Police Command to extort money from the miners and went further by revealing that the weapon he used in his operation was given to him by the CID police in the district.
Dr. Amakye Boateng, who spoke on Angel FM in Kumasi in an interview monitored by MyNewsGH.com, insisted that the video exposed cordiality and collusion between the police and the ‘galamsey’ gang.
Speaking about the investigations launched by the police on the matter, Dr. Amakye Boateng said that it will be interesting.
Asked if he is sure the police can do a good job in terms of investigating the matter, he said “the country is watching because it is a challenge for the police themselves.”
“I said something about the IGP some time ago, there are things we can do just for public consumption, but if you want to do something for people to see that you’ve really done a good job, there should be systematic change. We look at these things after you leave office.”
