DKB
DKB has implored the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and the general public to learn a lesson from massive protest against police brutality in Nigeria so that a similar incident does not happen in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview with NEWS-ONE on Thursday, he said the police must continue to be professional in its dealings with citizens and also advised the public to give the police the maximum respect they deserve.
“I will suggest that the Ghana Police be a little more diplomatic in their dealings and not to resort to aggression as the ultimate solution. Most of the times, the solution is just an ordinary arbitration. It has nothing to do with violence. The world war was solved with a roundtable discussion. I don’t know what else can’t be solved like that,” he stated.
“We have to learn a lesson from what is happening in Nigeria. We should not provoke the police because we know we are citizens and we are unarmed and we feel we are at a vantage point. There are some police officers who will always misbehave and the sad part is if the police officer misbehaves, you become a victim and carries the burden alone. So to the citizens, remember the police too are human beings; watch how you treat them,” DKB advised.
“I am not endorsing any reaction from a police officer but there have been cases where citizens misbehaved and the police didn’t have patience and it resulted in something very disgusting. So the citizen should also know that the police are humans and they deserve some respect. And the police, too, we have trained you with our taxpayers’ money to protect us and not for you to harm us,” he added.
DKB has, since last week, praised the GPS over its conduct of handling its citizens comparing recent happenings in Nigeria concerning policing to that of Ghana.
As of Wednesday, 10 persons were feared dead as Nigerians embarked on a nationwide protest to get their government to end the operations of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
SARS is Nigerian police force unit under the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department. It has received of a lot of criticisms for brutalising Nigerians over the years, leading to the nationwide protest against police operation.
DKB believes the GPS has, to a larger extent, protected Ghanaians and took to Twitter to apologise to the Service over verbal attacks they’ve suffered from Ghanaians over the years.
“Hello @GhPoliceService I apologise on behalf of the ignorant Ghanaians who have been dragging and insulting you guys over the years. This Nigeria #EndSARS has made us realise how good we have it here. Africa’s best police outfit. I salute! Folded hands,” DKB wrote.
The GPS, in a response to DKB’s tweet, said “Thank you for sharing your positive experience with the Ghana Police, we often read the negatives. We hope that readers will share their positive stories too.”
“What is happening Nigeria has made us seen the importance of the patience Ghana police have and the restraint they exercise because the protest in Nigeria has ended in deaths and injuries. I was part of the dumsor vigil and there was no single injury. It made me realised how good we have it when it comes policing in Ghana,” DKB told NEWS-ONE.
He continued by describing the current relationship that exists between the police and the public as love-hate, adding that it is good.
But he acknowledged there were some moments when some members of the public were brutalised by the GPS, and he apologised on behalf of the police while he prayed the victims to ‘pursue their case’ if they want to.
By Francis Addo