Editorial

Police and military personnel must build cordial relationship

A statement has announced a four-member committee to investigate a clash between the police and soldiers at the Suame Police Station in Kumasi last Friday.

It was jointly signed by the Acting Director General of the Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, ACP KwasiOfori, and the Acting Director, Public Relations, Ghana Armed Forces, Commander, Andy La-Anyane.

Last Friday, there arose a misunderstanding between the police and a man riding an unregistered motorbike over documents covering the bike and the man was alleged to have been manhandled by the police.

The motorist, who later introduced himself as a soldier,called in his colleagues, who clashed with  the police, leaving two personnel from each side injured.

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The Ghanaian Times has taken note of the one-week period (from November 2) given the committee to submit its report and the assurances that the committee would do thorough work and that culprits would be punished accordingly.

However, the paper is worried that there seems to be some bad blood between the police and the soldiers.

Clashes between the police and military personnel are gaining notoriety in the country and so need to be addressed once and for all.

It appears one group claims authority over the other, whereas the other uses physical strength to show where power lies.

It is significant that neither the police, as an institution, nor the military, as another, has officially not issued any statement that it is against each other.

However, some individual personnel of the two security institutions go out of the way to do things that do not support the high standard of discipline associated with the two institutions.

These are institutions whose ethics can be said to be unequalled.

Without any prejudice to the case under investigation, this paper thinks the police must apply professionalism in handling suspects and even those seen to be committingall manner of offences or crimes. because they may not know who they are dealing with.

Public respect for and confidence in the police are waning because of some unethical actsthey openly take to.

It seems there is also a perception among some soldiers that they are superior to the police so they would not accord them the due respect.

This is unfortunate because the Ghanaian Times accepts the fact that all security institutions are sister organisations and their members, officers, men and women,  should acknowledge this and treat each other with the utmost respect.

These are organisations which complement the efforts of one another in safeguarding the security of the country, so any unhealthy circumstances involving them can seriously undermine internal security and jeopardise the safety of the people.

The Ghanaian Times, therefore, appeals to both the police and the military to show maximum respect to each other for the public to have the maximum trust that their security is in safe hands.

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