The Eastern Regional Police Command has condemned in no uncertain terms the assault of a suspect by personnel at the Koforidua Railway Police Station.
Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, described the conduct as “brute, archaic and barbaric.”
General Sergeant Patrick Amoako and General Lance Corporal Isaac Marfo have been interdicted for assaulting a suspect for allegedly stealing GH¢1,600.00 from his employer.
The officers subjected the suspect, identified as Dodzi, to severe beatings as part of a strategy to get him to admit his guilt.
The suspect, from the viral video, still insisted he was innocent which compelled the two police officers to whip him with bicycle tyres.
But, luck eluded them when the story was published on Adomonline.com, Tuesday October 1, 2019. The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, outraged by the act, directed the two police officers be interdicted.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Wednesday, ASP Tetteh said the Eastern Regional Police Command had started taking disciplinary action before the directive came.
He explained that, the method used by the officer was beyond minimum force because the suspect was handcuffed which made him helpless before being assaulted.
“This cannot be minimum force; this is brute force. It is complete brutality and is virtually against the suspect’s right,” the Eastern Regional Police PRO stressed.
He feared the suspect, if he gets competent legal representation, might sue the police service for the indiscretion of the police officers.
ASP Tetteh advised all police officers to discharge their duties in a professional way to promote the image of the service.
“It is an advice to our men. We are moving to a service oriented policing so they must shelve some of those colonial and uncivilised methods of policing which are archaic and undemocratic,” he added.