The Centre for Justice and Rule of Law (CJRL) has noticed with deep concern the developments in Akyem Kukurantumi relating to the attacks on Police Station and police officers of the town following the death of a suspect one Bright Kena.
We condemn the attacks by the youth in no uncertain terms and ask for cool heads to prevail whilst the police commence investigations into the matter.
Our preliminary checks show that the attacks on the police station were reprisal in response to an alleged beating of Bright Kena upon his arrest by the police and this is supposed to have led to his hospitalization and subsequent death. The said Bright Kena was alleged to have committed the offence of unlawful entry and stealing of GHC 5 (Five Ghana Cedis).
We are by this statement also calling into question, the rate at which police personnel violate the rights of suspects during arrests, questioning and detention.
This attack a sign that the youth have run out of patience with the rate at which they are abused by police personnel. We believe this is the time for the police administration to do a sober deep reflection on how their officers are trained, deployed and instructed or supervised to do their work without violating the rights of suspects.
The 1992 constitution is very clear that every suspect is innocent until proven guilty. Various Sections of Criminal Procedure Act of 1960, (ACT 30) also clearly outlines the procedures for arrest and fails to mention beating as one of the means of arresting.
Any time that a police officer violates these provisions and resort to the beating of persons who have been arrested, that officers violate the rights of the persons and opens himself as well as the entire police administration to a lawsuit which can result in Judgment debt to the country as a whole.
We are calling on the inspector general of police to not only investigate the youth who attacked but also investigate the police who conducted the arrest and ensure that everyone who deserves punishment is duly punished according to law.
Signed
Divine Nkrumah
Director of Media Relations