INSPECTOR General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, last week gave a directive to regional, divisional, district and unit police commanders to decongest all police cells in the country. The directive from the police chief followed the death of two inmates at the Ashaiman police cells last week Monday, February 8, 2010.
IT is most unfortunate that we always wait for disaster to strike before we take measures to address it. Why is this always the case? It is common knowledge in Ghana that most police cells are overcrowded with criminals some of whom have been there for many years, and their cases yet to be decided by the court.
CONSIDERING the directive from the IGP, it was clear that our overcrowded police cells were in no time going to be decongested had it not been the death of the two inmates at the Ashaiman cells. We must also not pretend as if we do not know that some of our prisons are overpopulated.
MOST police stations in the country take delight in detaining suspects even at the least offence. And when one is arrested, for instance, on a minor case on a Friday and put behind police bars the practice is that such a person can only have police enquiry bail on a Monday.
BESIDES the problem of congestion, it is an established fact that most police cells in the country are in extremely deplorable state. The cells have themselves become places of torture and bullying. Interestingly, these things happen right under the noses of police officers at the various police stations in the country.
TO many police officers at the police stations, the practices which go on at the police cells are a means of reforming inmates, and therefore do not see anything wrong with it. But these same police officers have forgotten that prisoners are human beings and do have rights.
IN FACT, it is distasteful to see some of the things which happen in our police cells. For instance, there is the norm where inmates who come to meet old inmates are obliged to pay what is described as ‘late comer’s fee’. And this is allowed to thrive at the police cells whilst the officers look on unconcerned.
THOUGH, decongesting of our police cells is long overdue, we at TODAY are happy and welcome the directive by the IGP. A move when implemented to the latter will help decongest police cells in the country. Furthermore, it is equally important that Mr Tawiah Quaye charged his commanders to make sure their cells are in very good conditions.
WE hope the regional police commanders would heed to the directive of the IGP and help prevent further deaths in our police cells.
