OPEN LETTER TO THE INCOMING MINISTER FOR THE INTERIOR ABOUT IGP DAMPARE AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE
Dear Minister Henry Quartey,
Congratulations on your nomination as Minister for the Interior! Knowing your track record and zeal for due proceses, we have no doubt that you are going to deliver beyond expectations. Hon. Henry Quartey, the Ghana Police Service is in a state of tatters and despair, and personnel are earnestly waiting for you to relieve them from the claws of sadistic and tyrannical leadership.
Since IGP DAMPARE took office on August 1, 2021, the administration of the police service has revolved around deceit of the public through social media sieges to portray perfection, tyranny, vindictiveness, intimidation, patronage, populism, one-man shows, disregard for laid-down rules, regulations, policies, and divide-and-rule, to name but a few.
Dampare has taken the police service as his personal property and is destroying it at such an alarming rate that if something is not done to reverse the trend, police personnel might revolt one day. We believe your appointment is going to sanitize the mess created and boost morale among personnel in the service.
Hon. Minister, it is very important to highlight that policing is not about social media jamborees where one man takes center stage to attract unmerited applause and praise. It is neither a popularity contest nor a. Dampare has used social media to deceive so many Ghanaians to the extent that when anyone attempts to criticize him, that person is considered evil. He has succeeded in pitting police personnel against the public to the extent that the voices of police personnel are considered malicious and ill-intentioned. When COP Alex George Mensah stated that he was the worst IGP ever appointed, every police officer knew that was absolutely true, but to the public, COP Mensah was envious of Dampare and evil as well, but time will tell.
No one’s opinion matters in the police service. Not even his management members. From management members to regional, divisional, and district commanders, every decision has to emanate from Dampare.
Today, in the police service, promotions and appointments are based on patronage and loyalty to Dampare, but not on merit. He has outrageously distorted command and control to the extent that there’s serious tension in the service. Juniors are commanding seniors, which has never happened in the history of this country.
Dampare is defining his own policing philosophy. He has no regard for seniors and long-serving officers, a very worrying development in the police service today.
Transfers are targeted at personnel considered disloyal to him. These transfers are personally done by him without consulting his management members, thereby creating disaffection at that level. Dampare will transfer officers, and when he is asked about the reasons behind them, he will lie against such officers as working against the government. Police personnel are in a state of ecstasy over the removal of your predecessor because he was considered the backbone of Dampare for obvious reasons. .
Another dangerous thing about Dampare is his fake political affiliation. He is dabbling between the two main political giants, the NPP and the NDC, assuring each of victory in December 2024 (this is no farce). It should be investigated. This can affect public trust and confidence in the entire police service, as well as the overall integrity of the elections. He can’t be trusted with the 2024 elections.
Here is a man who will assemble his management members before a Parliamentary Committee to portray that there is unity amongst them when the contrary is the case. He is so deceitful and dishonest beyond imagination. The state of Service’s finances requires critical auditing because a lot of financial malfeasance and procurement breaches have taken place under his direct watch.
Censorship and media blackouts are the order of the day. Everything in the media about him is positive. He pays bloggers all over to always sing his praise. He is alleged to induce some prominent media houses and personalities with recruitment slots, contracts, and other monetary considerations. Today, people like Adam Bonaa speak for the police on virtually every issue, while Public Affairs officers and all other personnel have been banned from speaking to the media. The ultimate question is, why? Why is Adam Bonaa always speaking for him? Is it because of the sole-sourcing contract awarded to him to supply body cameras? It is forbidden under Dampare to report on serious cases such as robberies. Everything about Dampare should be positive.
Hon. Minister, we’re making one passionate appeal to you. Recently, over 1,200 Chief Inspectors undertook examinations organized by the University of Cape Coast. Successful candidates are expected to constitute Course 53 Cadet Officers Corp. and become ASPs after training.
Reliable information has it that even before the exam results are published, Dampare is calling for slots from a cross-section of stakeholders and pushing his favorites to the academy at the expense of those who sat for the exams. We’re strongly appealing to you to scrutinize the over 150 special recommendations that he has prepared, even before the results are out. The exams are just being used as a smoke screen to deny legitimate candidates.
Already, Dampare has indicated that only 300 people will qualify. We are appealing to you to subject the examination results, vis-à-vis the special recommendations solely engineered by Dampare, to scrutiny. What is the essence of the examination if special recommendations are going to be more than those who sat for the exams? Hon. Minister, please take a look at this critically for us because it has created serious tensions before, but he got away with them on two occasions, but it should not happen the third time.
There are a number of issues adversely affecting the police service, but we will pause for now, hoping that God will help you to sanitize the police service, hold IGP Dampare accountable, and bring him to order.
God bless you. Thank you
Concerned Police Officers
Ashantibiz
