The Public Account Committee of parliament called the Inspector General of Police to explain under which circumstance a police officer can shoot at protesting crowed.
He said, “The laws permit the police to use lethal force to deal with unarmed rioters.A force is needed to protect the lives of officers deployed to protect and control violent protest, adding that such action is permissible by law.”
“It is to ensure the safety of security officers whose lives may be at risk . During violent protest, police call for calm with the use of megaphone, when confronted by unarmed protesters,the use of spray gun tear gas and blank amour are allowed to be used to prevent rising tension.
So depending on the situation you are dealing with, then you can go through all these,” he continued.
He added that, “We do have a manual on the use of force. Normally, you speak to the people through a megaphone or you shout if they can hear you and you use spray water, you throw tear gas and then you use blank amour and eventually you use live amour.”
Furthermore, “What people don’t know is ‘A’ may be armed but ‘B’ may not.Being in the crowd doesn’t necessarily mean you know what is happening but technically, you are responsible for whatever the person is doing.So,we take steps to eliminate that threat to the officers.”
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has instructed the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, to conduct a public inquiry into the circumstance that led to the unfortunate occurrence of Tuesday, 29th June, 2021.
A statement from Eugene Arhin, Director of Communication at the presidency reads,”The President is deeply saddened by the deaths of Ibrahim Muhammed alias ‘Kaaka’, Abdul Nasir Yussif and Murtala Muhammed.”
