Describing IGP as the worst is a palpable display of mental dementia – Prof Gyampo
For anybody to claim that the present Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, is the worst in the history of the Ghana Police Service is a “palpable display of mental dementia,” according to senior political science professor at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo.
Such remarks, in his opinion, shouldn’t be accepted because IGP Dampare is doing a fantastic job.
“I trust in the competence of people like [Builsa North MP James] Agalga and other members of the committee to be interrogating the key issues and I believe that they will be able to do a lot of service to Ghana by coming out with findings and recommendations that will help unravel some of these things saddling the police.
“But I believe that any description of the current IGP as the worst in 31 years in my view is a palpable display of mental dementia,” he said on Accra-based TV3.
To support his claim, he used examples of how Dr. Akuffo Dampare has made sure that police visibility is maintained while “getting into the nitty gritty of things” rather than remaining in the luxury of his office.
Prof. Gyampo applauded the IGP for having the guts to detain government employees who disobeyed traffic laws.
“You are talking about an IGP who is demystifying the office of the Inspector General of Police by bringing himself down to the ordinary people to be able to interact with him. You are talking about so many things.
He went on “So, if someone does all these things that were not being done, if somebody has the courage to arrest a member of Parliament of a regime of a political party in power for violating a traffic offence and you describe him as the worst of policing in the history of Ghana, I am saying, to be charitable, that this description is a display of mental dementia and I don’t want to say further,” he stated.
His remarks follow the Director General of Operations of the Service, George Alex Mensah, who described the current IGP as the worst he has encountered in his 31 years of service.
IGP Dampare was mismanaging the Police Service, according to COP Mensah, who testified before a legislative committee formed to look into a recording that was leaked about a conspiracy to remove him.
He claims that the IGP’s direction has caused many police personnel’ morale to drop.