[ 2012-06-25 ]

Senior police officers admit extortion culture in Police Service
Some senior police officers claim that extortion
of monies from police recruits is an endemic
culture in the Ghana Police Service, which is
difficult to deal with.

They, therefore, wondered what would be the
outcome of the investigations ordered by the
police administration into reports of alleged
extortion of monies from recruits at the Kumasi
Police Training School recently.

Speaking in Kumasi on condition of anonymity, the
officers said they also suffered from similar
extortion from police instructors and other
personnel when they were being recruited into the
service many years ago.

Their comments came on the heels of a report that
investigations into alleged extortion of money
from recruits at the Kumasi Police Training School
had been completed.

The report on the investigation, led by Assistant
Commissioner of Police, Mr Barimah Acheampong, has
been handed over to the Police Administration for
action.

The senior police officers contend that the report
of the investigations would not yield any fruitful
results, explaining that extortion of monies from
recruits had been going on from one generation to
another.

“I was made to pay similar amount of money when I
was being recruited, so there is no way anyone can
stop this practice,” one of the officers said.

They said it was such practice of extortion which
was carried onto the field of operation after the
recruits had finally passed out.

“Some of our men learn the practice of extortion
from police training school and since no one
complains, it has been taken as a norm,” another
alleged.

Commending the recruits in Kumasi for what he
described as “a bold venture”, they said the time
had come for the Police Administration to
institute measures that would prevent any form of
extortion from recruits in future.

Last May, some recruits at the Kumasi Police
Training School accused three out of the 12
drilling officers of allegedly extorting monies
from them.

According to the recruits, the three drill
officers had since January, this year, been
extorting GH¢10 from each of the 232 recruits
every month and anyone who complained always
incurred the wrath of the three officers.

The recruits claimed that those who refused to pay
the monies were punished by the instructors.

Following the allegations, the Police
Administration set up the investigation team to
probe the alleged extortion.

Meanwhile the recruits passed out from their
training on Friday, June 15, 2012.

Their passing-out, which was scheduled for Friday,
June 1, 2012, was suspended to enable the recruits
to help in the investigation.

The passing-out, which, in the past, always
received extensive media coverage, was carried out
without any fanfare.

Source - Daily Graphic

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