The killing of Inspector Emmanuel Ashilevi, at the dawn of Sunday, January 21, allegedly by six armed men to free seven prisoners at the Kwabenya Police Station has raised public angst and a debate longer than usual on the security of the uniformed men and women supposed to protect you and me. The public concern is understandable, even if it has a tinge of partisan politicisation. For, if the person supposed to police us is himself or herself under threat, the question naturally arises: Are we safe? While answering that, Ghana Today, this day, brings you an objective analysis of the problem; after all, that is the surest way to diagnose and find viable solutions to the menace.
Available data
Straightaway, I acknowledge with thanks some work posted on the net by primenewsghana.com on the authority of whose work I proceed to do the analysis. Forty-eight is the total killings accounted for by primenewsghana.com between 2013 and this month. “The number of officers killed each year during the period is 2013 – 13; 2014 – 11; 2015 – seven; 2016 – six; 2017 – seven and 2018 so far – four.” How can we break these down further to see the frequency of the causes? I hereby attempt, thus:
Those killed, like, Insp. Ashilevi, by armed men or armed robbers numbered 15, or 31.25 per cent of the 48. Details include the case of Inspector Adolph Mutse and Constable Prosper Ashinyo, who on, Wednesday, January 10, this year, were shot dead by some unidentified armed persons at Drobonso in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Asante Region. General Corporal Robert Kumi Ackah, a member of the Rapid Deployment Force in Tamale in the Northern Region, was killed in crossfire. On July 13, 2017, General Lance Corporal Daniel Owusu, a member of the Community Policing Unit in the Greater Accra Region, was shot and killed by armed robbers at Abeka Lapaz while on routine community patrols. A member of the Tema Rapid Deployment Force, General Lance Corporal Michael Kpoyi, died when two unidentified persons riding an unregistered motorcycle fired several shots at him. On May 28, 2016, D/Cpl Francis Amenyo Aballo, who was with the Accra Regional Criminal Investigation Department, was shot and killed by armed robbers at Ofankor in the Greater Accra Region.
Unidentified persons shot and killed General Constable Kwakuvi Hukporti at Winchau in the Upper West Region. General Corporal Humphrey Lumor, stationed at Kukuo in the Bono-Ahafo Region, was on June 30, 2016 hit by a bullet when his patrol team, which was responding to a distress call, was caught in exchange of fire with armed robbers, leading to his death on July 2, 2016. On June 17, 2016, General Corporal Frank Komla Klu of the Sunyani Visibility Team in the Bono-Ahafo Region died when armed robbers attacked a passenger bus he was escorting from Kwame Danso in the B/A to Kumasi in the Asante Region. General Constable Francis Osei Amankwa, stationed at Wassa Juabu in the Western Region, was shot and killed, March 16, 2016, when eight armed robbers attacked a taxi he and five others were travelling on, on the Sefwi Bekwai – Asankragwa road after close of duty. General Constable Emmanuel Nii Atseku was shot dead by suspected armed robbers while on duty at Radiance LPG station, near Power House at Ho, on September 22, 2015. General Corporal Charles Akata was also shot and killed by armed robbers on January 7, 2015 while on lawful duty at Weija.
Not terribly huge, though one would have expected that not a single soul was lost in the line of duty. But, let’s check those who died through accidents (automobile accidents mainly.) General Lance Corporal Danso Animon of the Cape Coast Operations Unit was killed, one Friday dawn, when he was run over and dragged under a cargo truck for about 40 metres at a snap checkpoint at Gomoa Abotsia in the Central Region. On June 25, 2017, General Corporal Jakpa Biitleeb Yamdauk, stationed in Kumasi, died in a motor accident while returning to Wa from Kumasi on escort duties when the bus he was travelling on ran into an articulated truck. A member of the Regional Visibility Team at Ho, General Constable Courage Agbetsiafa, was part of a patrol team, which got involved in a motor accident on the Juapong – Kpong road and died at the hospital on May 10, 2017. General Lance Corporal Frank Degbey, stationed at Dulugu in the Western Region, died from an accident at Anoma Nkwanta, near Jema in the Bono-Ahafo Region, on December 22, 2017, involving a State Transport Company bus he was escorting from Takoradi to Bolgatanga. A police woman, Lance Corporal Esther Kagya Junior, died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital while receiving treatment for injuries sustained when she was knocked down by a motorbike rider as she was performing a snap check at Kwamekrom/Bibiani. On February 4, 2015, General Constable Luke Dantour and G/Const Ransford Boakye were killed at The Shai Hills, when a KIA truck rammed into the service vehicle they were using for patrols. General Sergeant Albert Adubah (January 27, 2015), G/Sgt Sampson Attah (January 27, 2015) and G/L/Cpl Solomon Okyere (February 2, 2015) were all run over by vehicles while they were on snap check duties at various designated posts.
There are more accidents: Inspector Joshua Codjoe Nutsakpuui died in the Northern Region on March 12 in a motor accident while leading a highway patrol team. General Constable Evans Amoako was knocked down by a vehicle while managing traffic in Sekondi on January 12. General Lance Corporal Mark Kofi Azure was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver on the Accra-Aburi-Koforidua road while on snap checks on November 15 in the Eastern Region. A second policewoman, Theodora Yirenkyi, died in the Eastern Region on August 31 in a motor accident while returning from Kumasi on official duties. Time and space will not allow us to review the full number of police people killed by vehicular accidents over the last six years. Indeed, with the exception of the electrocution of General Constable Daniel Kwesi Appiah, by a 33KVA transformer on August 6, 2017, while he was on duty at Aiyinase near the Osagyefo Power Barge; and the unintentional killing, near Kintampo, of Cpl. Ackah in crossfire; all the remaining (31) 64.6 per cent of the 48 deaths since 2013 were from automobile accidents.
Effective solution
While you strive for a gun-free society where there is hardly any unlicensed firearm in anybody’s hand; you also must do all it takes to reduce the auto accidents that keep ranking as the number one, two or three killer of civilians in this country. We do know that pedestrians are killed more than those riding on buses and in saloon cars in this country. But, we also know that most of the ricketiest; the least roadworthy vehicles belong to Mottor Transport and Traffic Department police officers paid to protect life and property on the roads. The carnage on our roads, which claims more civilian than police lives, is tolerated and encouraged by the average police officer for self-gain. Let the men and women we cloth and pay to protect us enforce the laws on the roads and highways and all of us – including them – will be safer.
Do introspection
The Police Inspector General hardly needs to be told that many of his men and women need retraining and routine drills. Hundreds of them can be beaten in a relay event fielding even disabled civilians. Alcohol abuse, lack of drills, negative attitude to work and – of course – limited equipment make the work of the policeperson here a great challenge. You need to retrain them on handling of guns so they stop killing one another and innocent civilians. You need to retrain them so they are able to disarm or outwit some of their assailants.
We the civilians should appreciate the invaluable service the police can, and should, play in our democratic society. Rather than shelving criminals and those who attack police installations, we should cooperate with the law to deal with the miscreants in deterrent forms. But, truth be told; the police must up their game – not to stem their deaths – but to make all of us safer. Are we safe? None of civilian, policeperson, or us is safe in the milieu of things in Ghana!
Ghana Today
…with A. C. Ohene