The #FixTheCountry campaigners are demanding information on police activities regarding the nutrition and health of inmates be made available to them.
This comes after they were prevented from donating food items to inmates in the custody of the Ashaiman Police station on Sunday, March 20, 2022.
On Sunday, a convener of the movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor and his team, were denied access by the Police from delivering the items, due to an ‘order from above’.
The police have justified their decision saying that Mr Barker-Vormawor was informed through his lawyers his initiative was against Police Standard Operating Procedure, therefore, he was advised to refrain from carrying out the said donation.
They explained that feeding of persons in police custody is the responsibility of the government and it is a responsibility that is discharged according to law and laid down procedures.
But the activist, who was recently granted bail, finds it baffling that the police cannot “even admit that they don’t feed inmates because they receive no money to feed them.”
On the back of this, the campaigners have joined forces with two other groups – Democracy Hub and Democratic Accountability Lab – to mount pressure on the police administration to furnish them with details of the their nutrition routines from as far back as 2020.
They are triggering the Right to Information law to get the police to comply with their request.
Apart from the budget for feeding since 2020, the demand also encapsulates how many times persons in police custody were fed daily between February 11 and March 17 this year.
“What was the daily menu provided the individuals in the custody of the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022? 5a. How many times are persons in police custody fed daily?
According to a Facebook post by Mr Barker-Vormawor, the three groups also want information on the number of people in Police custody who fell sick and required hospitalization between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.
Read the full statement below:
Press Release Together with two NGOs (Democracy Hub) and (Democratic Accountability Lab) Ghfixthecountry jointly filed a Right to Information Request at the Ghana Police Service to seek the following:
1a. What was the budget for feeding persons in Police custody for 2020, 2021?
1b. How many people were held for more than 24 hours in Police custody in Ghana for the year 2020, and 2021 respectively?
2. How much was approved for feeding persons in police custody for 2022?
3: How many persons were held by the Police for more than 24hours at the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022?
4. In connection with number 3, How much did the Ghana Police Service spend on feeding the individuals in the custody of the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022?
5. What was the daily menu provided the individuals in the custody of the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022?
5a. How many times are persons in police custody fed daily? 6. What was the budget for first aid medication procured for 2020; 2021 and 2022; for persons in police custody?
6a. How many people in Police custody fell sick and required hospitalization between January 2020 and 21st March 2022?
6b. How many people in Police custody fell sick and required a hospital visit, without hospitalization between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.#?
6c. How many people fell sick; and were given medication without requiring a hospital visit between January 2020 and 21st March 2022?
7. How many persons have died while in Police custody between January 2020 and 21st March 2022?
8. Furnish us with a copy of the Standard Operation Procedures of the Ghana Police Service regarding donations by private citizens and private organizations to persons in police custody.
8a. Furnish us with a copy of the Standard Operation Procedures of the Ghana Police Service regarding donations by private citizens to the Ghana Police Service as an institution.
9. Furnish us with a copy of the Ghana Police Service Instructions.
The Police have 14 days to respond.