Nine (9) Policemen Fired

Two police corporals whose actions led to the death of three persons have been charged with murder and are currently facing trial. The two, according to DCOP Ampah Bennin, Director General in charge of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, were part of police officers whose cases were probed by the Police Administration following the unfavourable repercussions of their actions in the line of duty. They are Lance Corporal David Tetteh, who shot and killed Samuel Asabor in the Afienya shooting incident on August 20, 2013 and Lance Corporal Fred Annor who shot and killed his colleague police officers in a friendly fire on September 20, 2013 in Winneba. Two other senior police officers including Chief Superintendent Joseph Obeng and DSP Stephen Agyei Nimo who were involved in visa fraud and fake enlistment respectively, had also been interdicted. DCOP Ampah Bennin said in all, nine police officers were currently on interdiction, while six others were on service enquiry for acting unprofessionally in the line of duty. In all, about 12 major cases in which lives were lost were investigated; and seven other cases of fraud involving police officers were also probed. Touching on the Mallam Attah Market shooting incident which led to the death of three suspected armed robbers, DCOP Ampah Bennin said no punitive action was taken against the police officers involved because investigations revealed that the suspects were indeed armed robbers, evidence of which were the pistols and other incriminating weapons in their possession. In the case of the Apedwa police shooting incident which occurred on April 2013, Lance Corporal Obese Aseidu, who led some constables to arrest criminals terrorizing the people of the town, acted unprofessionally leading to the death of one Kweku Oteng, the investigations showed. He had been interdicted alongside the Station Officer of the area, DCOP Ampah Bennin said, adding that a duplicate docket had been lodged with the Attorney General�s Department for direction. Touching on the Switchback Road land guards attack which occurred on May 32, 2013, the Director General of Public Affairs said police investigations revealed that the suspects were manhandled leading to them sustaining injuries. �The behaviour of the police officers was considered unprofessional, as the suspects were not carrying weapons and so the police officers involved including Superintendent Adebugri and DSP Bismark Acaab are on service enquiry.� In the Abeka Lapaz friendly fire incident which led to the death of a suspected armed robber on May 16, 2013, the police report stated that Detective Corporal Charles Boateng, Constable Adjei Matthew Sekyere and Lance Corporal George Korankye who carried out the assignment acted unprofessionally. Their docket had been sent to the Attorney General�s Department for advice before prosecution would begin. In the Abuakwa Shooting case which occurred on October 15, 2013, leading to the death of a suspected armed robber, the police investigations revealed that the officers deployed acted unprofessionally and had therefore been interdicted. DCOP Ampah Bennin said some of the dockets had been forwarded to the Attorney General�s Department for advice and that the defaulters would be sanctioned accordingly. Constable Isaac Awuni, whose gun went off in the Tema Mexico shooting incident, was commended for acting professionally. He was reported to have shot a suspect�s leg after the latter and his colleague robbers sought to snatch his rifle from him.