Police officers deployed to Bawku on operation as the law enforcement system refers to as duties in this part of the Upper East Region are desperate.
Unlike the irate Kusasi youth of the municipality and the adjoining areas such as Binduri, Pusiga, Garu and others who can kill as they please them, on the other hand the police officers must adhere to strict rules of engagement their primary duty being the restoration of normalcy.
Things have not been favourable for the police officers whose bosses at the Police Headquarters would do everything at their disposal to please politicians at Jubilee House to who they love to display an ‘all clear’ picture.
The Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu visited Bawku recently. He could have been there to boost the morale of the personnel some of them very young officers still on probation after passing out from the training depots.
Apart from drawing fire from the irate Kusasi youth, he dampened the morale of the personnel who are working under very dangerous conditions.
He reportedly pleaded with the Kusasi youth to lay down their arms and be offered special dispensation for enlistment into the Police Service.
Such a remark from the Chief Constable of the foremost internal security institution of the country is not only a sign of subservience to the Kusasi youth it is a morale dampener for the personnel risking their lives in Bawku.
We observed the IGP later doing an abortive damage control when he denied indicating that the standards will be lowered for Kusasi youth if they lay down their weapons.
Shouldn’t he have warned them to stop the act of lawlessness so the Bawku would know peace?
Mr. Yohunu behaved like our politicians who would run away from their negative remarks when they are faced with the backlash of these.
With their morale dampened there is the need for the IGP to restore this important ingredient for the officers.
Some of the morale-dampened police officers have expressed themselves on social media and it is worrying.
One of them said they are unable to go out to buy food, an indication that ration which is critical at such times is not forthcoming. Police officers on such missions should be fed from a central cookhouse.
Yesterday the Police Administration reacted to the latest incident to befall the police officers in Bawku when two of them were fatally shot by Kusasi youth.
The Police Administration stated that the two police officers were killed by suspected armed robbers. This cannot be true and constitutes another morale-dampener for which we demand a revision from the Police Administration.
The fact that the motorbike on which the two police officers were riding at the time of their murder was taken away does not make the case an armed robbery one.
We have also heard that the Upper East Regional Minister has dismissed the suggestion that a state of emergency be ordered in Bawku. We wish to tell the regional minister if he does not see the need for such an action by government as head of the Regional Security Council then he has no business continuing at post.
