Security Services must Fortify Identification System Ahead of Supreme Court’s Verdict - PPP youth

As we creep towards the judgement day, there seems to be so much consternation in the air, in a way prompting the invariable discourse on the subject, PEACE - PEACE. From the Classroom, Teachers are talking about peace. At prayer meetings, everyone is praying for peace, political parties are asking for peace after the pronouncement. We however talk about Peace as if it will come from the Skies. It will not come from anywhere except from us as a people.

As part of the PPP’s main agenda to help maintain the enviable Peace of this Country during and after the Election Petition challenging the legitimacy of the presidency, we have identified certain serious issues that we are inadvertently refusing to pay attention to as a people. It is in relation to Security Services and their identification system. That is why the youth wing of the Progressive People’s Party - PPP wish to call on Ghanaians and all powers that be, to place greater emphasis on the role of the Security Services vis-a-vis how the security personnel can easily be identified by the public as we await earnestly for the Supreme Court’s verdict that will put a seal on the Petition before it.

Experiences on the grounds have revealed to us that, members of the Security Services especially the police service are habitually very reluctant in identifying themselves when dealing with the public. It is a wholly known fact that, they even get angry when people try to question them their reason for trying to search, arrest or take any action. This we know is in contrast with provisions in article 19 of the constitution which prescribes that a person who is arrested by the police should immediately be told the reason for his arrest. Our fear is that if the Security agencies do not put away their conceit and do the right thing in the precarious times ahead of us, this will allow criminals who would want to parade themselves as security officers to take advantage and disturb the peace of our dear nation.

We are consequently calling on all security services to as a matter of urgency put in place necessary mechanisms that will provide all security Personnel with identification tags with special security features that will enable the public to distinguish between fake and genuine security personnel. We cannot fold our hands during this election Petition and watch the state drift into chaos or witness an upsurge of crime and insecurity under various fashions where phony groups will take advantage of the lapses in the security services.

We are also asking the government to empower the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to immediately commence a nationwide education on ways to identify fake security personnel from the real ones, because there have been several instances where persons with malicious intents have posed as security persons by using fake identity cards. There are also reported cases of people who have been arrested for wearing fake police and soldier uniforms. It is therefore urgent for the security services in the nation to come up with authentic and recognizable identity cards for security personnel, and also carry out public education about the features of such identity cards.

In countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and others, they experienced a situation where people who were aligned to security institutions paraded in town as Official Security Forces. These people went about seeming to protect the people only to turn around to molest, maim, and rape innocent and unsuspecting victims. So called “Big Men” took advantage of the plight of the youth being unemployment and used them for their selfish agenda to the detriment of the people.
It has become imperative for the public to be educated about their right to examine identity cards of security personnel to be sure if they are genuine, so that they can differentiate the real ones from the fake ones.

Signed:
Divine Nkrumah
National Youth Cordinator
Progressive People’s Party
0200-529563