Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 6 July 2005

Source: GNA

Police freed suspects for wrongful identification

Koforidua, July 06, GNA - There was drama and excitement at the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters at Koforidua on Monday when all six people put on parade for alleged breaking of the law were released for wrongful identification.

The Police were compelled to release the suspects because the complainants failed to identify the suspects.

The six had been placed in custody having earlier been rounded up by the police based on leads the police had received that the suspects were seen engaging in deviant acts.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Ms Martha Blay, the Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, said the police could only prosecute people based on evidence.

She said much as the police relies on the public for information in curbing criminal activities, it could only prosecute based on leads that could be used to unravel the veracity or otherwise of each case.

''Therefore, if those providing the evidence fail to give accurate account of what took place and cannot pinpoint the offender of a crime they had witnessed, then this disables the police's ability to prosecute,'' she said.