The Ghana Police Service has reacted to recent surveys labeling its officials as the most corrupt in Ghana.
Separate survey reports released by the Ghana Statistical Service and its partners, as well as Afrobarometer report, had officials of the service topping the corruption list.
According to the Afrobarometer study undertaken by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), 65 percent of Ghanaians believe most police are corrupt, while 31 percent believe only some police are corrupt.
Responding to this in a five-page letter signed by the Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, the police service acknowledged that there may be some bad nuts in the service, just like any human institution.
It noted that it continues to implement measures to discourage corruption among its men.
The service however thinks it would have been helpful if the researchers had engaged its leaders to find out what measures they had instituted, so they can be incorporated into the findings.
“We want to place on record that we are concerned about this, since the continuous empirically and scientifically unsubstantiated labelling of the police as the most corrupt institution in the country only goes to feed this perception and damage the reputation of the Police Service as well as weaken the morale of its personnel.”
“As we have all now come to accept, perception tends to be more powerful than reality, and therefore we have no choice than to share our position on this matter.”
The police service said it considers the research and its findings heavily challenged and corrupted from both the academic and practical points of view.
The Police Service after reviewing the Afrobarometer report has serious concerns with the research and its findings.
It presented some 14 concerns to the researchers and requested a response to each of them.
According to the Police, this will help them better understand the research outcomes and further shape measures being implemented by the Service to improve its delivery.
“Whilst we wait for your response, please accept the assurance of our highest consideration.”
Read the Police’s full statement below;
