Bribe Police For Court

THE FOUR policemen who were caught red-handed on Wednesday morning collecting bribe money from drivers on the Achimota Overpass in Accra will soon be processed for court. The Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Kwesi Ofori, disclosed this in an interview with Kessben FM in Kumasi on Thursday. He revealed that a full-scale investigation has been launched into the case with the view of establishing circumstantial evidence to enable the police administration process the offending policemen for court. DSP Ofori made it known that for now, the four wayward police officers would be interdicted for the purpose of ensuring that they do not interfere with investigations. Speaking ill about the practice where police officers detailed to enforce traffic regulations end up extorting money from drivers, he indicated, “Police officers are not beggars who go to the streets and beg for alms”. DSP Ofori stressed that the Police Administration is determined to weed out ill-disciplined officers who drag the reputation of their noble service into the mud. Noting that police services such as the lodging of complaints and the granting of bail for accused persons do not attract a fee, the police PRO entreated the public to report such illicit activities to the police administration for action. DSP Ofori said his outfit is doing everything possible to clean out the mess from the police service for the common good of all and sundry, urging the public to cooperate with them. Probably the biggest news since the beginning of this year was recorded on Wednesday morning when some four police officers were caught red-handed collecting bribe money from drivers on the Achimota Overpass towards Abeka Lapaz in Accra. The prohibited activity of these police officers, who are dispatch riders from the Police Central Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), was uncovered by a team of police officers who were detailed to the place following a tip-off. While an amount of GH¢170 was found on L/Cpl. Daniel Yemoh, and GH¢89.20 was retrieved from his colleague L/Cpl George Rockson, their seniors; Inspector Joseph Karikari and Sgt. Anthony Nyarko did not have any money on them at the time of their arrest. DAILY GUIDE has learnt that in times of such operations, the money collected is kept by the junior officers till it is over before the proceeds are shared. One of the police officers, who ostensibly did not want to be captured on camera, was said to have bolted when a TV camera focused on him. But unfortunately for him, he was re-arrested at the CID block of the police quarters. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Paul Quaye, according to media reports, announced at a recent interaction with regional commanders that he was going to embark on a crusade to redeem the deplorable image of the police service. The special team that arrested the four impish cops was part of the wide ranging measures put in place by the IGP towards the image-redemption exercise. It is common knowledge that the practice of giving bribes to police officers by commercial drivers, especially in the urban areas, is a bizarre development that has stared the nation in the face for a very long time. This eerie spectacle has persisted all this while due to the entrenched perception that no matter what, a police officer will always find fault with a vehicle, thus the best thing to do to prevent unnecessary delays is to pay your way through. From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi/Daily Guide