Chief of Defense Staff and IGP to appear before Parliament

IGP Paul Tawiah Quaye         The Chief of Defense Staff and the Inspector General of Police are to appear before Parliament’s Defense and Interior Committee on Thursday. They are to explain circumstances leading to some soldiers brutalizing police officers at their duty posts in Kumasi. Chairman of the Defense and Interior Committee Abukari Sumani said beyond the Kumasi episode, the committee will also examine the relationship between the military and the police across the country. Meanwhile, security analyst Emmanuel Sowatey has called for the total withdrawal of the military from all civilian related issues. “When it comes to their relationship with the police, there is this unwritten constitution that the military think that they are superior to the police,” Mr Sowatey said, adding, the military seem to have been drafted too deeply into security routines the police should have been performing. According to him, retooling the police will be the only way out of the situation which seems to be getting out of hand. The Kumasi incident which occurred on June 4, the day ex-President Rawlings and believers in his June 4 revolution were commemorating the event, resulted in a number of police officers sustaining injuries. Although the Military High Command has described the situation as unfortunate, there is pressure on authorities to ensure the matter is investigated to the letter and the culprits brought to book. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana