Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Theophilus J. Essilfie, the District Commander of the Korle-Bu Police Station has called on the public to refrain from meting out instant justice to people whom they suspect to be criminals.

He condemned the practice of “instant or mob action,” adding that, through such acts, innocent victims have been killed and family members deprived of their loved ones as well as a lost to the state.

ASP Essilfie made the call during the National Commission for Civic Education’s (NCCE) community engagements with the Chorkor Zonal Branch of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association and the Agege Zonal Branch of the Beauticians and Dressmakers Association on the topic “The Rule of Law and Anti-Mob Action’’ in Accra.

Citing the case of the late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, who was brutally lynched by a mob in Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region whilst on official duty, Mr Essilfie said when people lose hope in the justice system, they tend to put the law into their own hands, which according to him, should not be the case.

He therefore called on the public to report any criminal activity or suspected criminals to the nearest police station instead of taking the laws into their own hands.

“People must be patient when an alarm is being raised on a suspected thief and must do the needful by taking such suspects to the police station to ascertain the truth or identities of the suspects,” he said.

Bemoaning the bad practice where some police officers collect bribes before issuing Police Statement forms to victims during emergency cases, Mr Essilfie explained that the police service is still in the process of putting measures in place to weed out the bad nuts in the service to boost public confidence in the police.

He pledged the support of his outfit to help anybody who reports criminal cases to the Korle-Bu Police Station, saying that, “If you report the case to the police and you are treated unfairly by any police personnel, you can personally call on me at the office.’’

Mr Stephen Y. Heymann, the Officer-in-Charge of the Ablekuma South-West Sub-Metro of the National Commission for Civic Education spoke on corruption and how it affects society.

He said the level of corruption is so high in the country to the extent that people with the requisite qualifications find it very difficult to gain employment whilst people who lacked those qualifications have been placed in good positions on the job market.

He further explained that corruption affects the developments of the country and reduces the trust of foreign investors in the economy, adding that, all hands must be on deck to tackle it from all angles.