REPORT ARBITRARY ACTS IN POLICE TO CHRAJ (PAGE 46)

A Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has challenged personnel of the Ghana Police Service who are arbitrarily harassed, punished or denied promotion to challenge such wrongdoings by reporting the cases to CHRAJ.
Mr Richard Quayson pointed out that it was time personnel in the Ghana Police Service whose rights had been unjustly abused by their superior officers sought redress from the CHRAJ to enhance effective administration of justice in the country.
“A lot of cheating and arbitrariness of all forms take place in the Police Service, especially in the areas of denying some of you deserving promotions, wrongful transfers and disciplinary actions, but you have become subservient to the rules and regulations in the system and regard such actions as normal,” he noted.
Addressing a capacity-building seminar on human rights in Kumasi, Mr Quayson said “being subservient to such regulations undermines fairness so victims should test the law and CHRAJ would be ready to offer you the needed hearings and correct such injustices which seem to have gained roots in the Police Administration”.
The seminar, which is the second in a series for the station officers, was sponsored by CHRAJ, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Police Administration.
Among the topics treated were; Human rights provisions in the 1992 Constitution in relation to the police, Whistleblower Act, Public Event and Public Order Act, police investigator and human rights, crime scene processing and crime records, as well as human rights and police ethics, policing in an era of democratic and constitutional rule, upholding the rights of victims and offenders and police powers of arrest, use of force, detection, search and granting bail.
Other topics treated were: Concept of conflict of interest and its importance, gifts, gratitude and other benefits, impartiality in performing duties, abuse of office and dealing with conflict of interest situations.
Mr Quayson, who spoke on the topic ‘Human rights provisions in the 1992 Constitution in relation to the Police Service’, pointed out that the Police Administration which should have promoted the concept of the rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitutions was itself guilty of abusing the rights of some of its staff.
“It was time some of you tested the law whenever your rights are abused by your superior officers by reporting such abuses to us. We at the CHRAJ will not allow you to suffer whenever you bring such cases before us. You can go outside the internal channels if that will not give you the requisite results and protection you need, but it seems you are afraid to challenge such wrongdoings in the service,” he stressed.
Mr Quayson explained that the nation could only achieve the best in her quest for promoting the rights of her citizens if people became aware of their rights and challenged individuals and institutions who deliberately abused their rights.
“ It is better to test the system to ensure fairness if your rights are being abused or violated,” he said.