Despite their merge salaries, bad living conditions and lack of resources, our brave men and women of law enforcement agencies who gave their lives to protect our safety and defend our freedom must be remembered and honoured.

The government must honour all law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. A special day (not public holiday) must be set aside where all the names of our fallen law enforcement officers are dedicated at a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Accra. Their service and sacrifice to flag and country must not be forgotten.

Since 2000 the number of officers killed by gunfire increases, yet as just many law enforcement officers the world over, all fallen law enforcement officers has one common aim: these brave men and women chose to put the safety and protection of fellow citizens above their own.

With high incidence of armed robbery and narcotic related crimes, our law enforcement officers will come under more gun fire from the criminal elements within our mist. To counteract this menace and uphold law and order, our law enforcement officers must fight “fire-for-fire” with armed robbers, narcotic dealers and other violent criminals. The nation cannot stand by as our dedicated officers are killed in the line of duty! Although it is regrettable that in the course of protecting fellow citizens against violent criminals, innocent lives are sometimes lost as a result of the “shoot to kill policy”, but that is the only measure our law enforcement officers can take to gain control of the exploding spat of armed robbery we are witnessing in the country.

Professor Ken Attafuah’s assertion (Joy News - Wednesday July 29, 2009) that “fire-for-fire is not solution to violent crimes” is not only a slap in the face of our brilliant law enforcement officers, but borders on stupidity and fool headedness.

Prof Attauah’s argument that the police must be held accountable for their aggressive policing is not only wrong, but it send the wrong signal to the armed robbers and narcotic dealers that they will be protected by the law if shot down by an officer.

Although it is an acceptable fact that the educational system, as it is, is failing many youngsters, with most turning to armed robbery; however what is not acceptable is a law enforcement officer who comes “face-to-face with an armed violent criminal pointing a shot gun at him” and not being able to protect/defend himself and fellow officers/citizens because the “law does not permit him to use force against such a violent criminal”. This is not only ridiculous, but shameful assertion from Professor Attafuah, an eminent criminologist/lawyer who is greatly respected for his sound analysis. This writer strongly backs the Interior Secretary for his “justification of the shoot-to-kill” policy and declared war on armed robbers and narcotic dealers.

Those criminals, including their “god fathers” who are taken alive must be made to forfeit all their assets, without exception, to support the family left behind by our fallen law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Apart from those who are killed in the line of duty, many more have been wounded as those they pursue increasingly carry weapons such as shot gun or even AK47. Most of these injuries are shortly forgotten by the very people they are protecting.

This writer wish to appeal directly to the Interior Secretary set up a fund in which patriotic citizens and friends of Ghana can contribute into. Tragedies such as the death of Chief Inspector Ben Asiamah – Golokwati Police Station, Hohoe Municipality, inevitably raise questions about the inadequate resources of the law enforcement agencies. There are more criminals with guns, more criminals who are drugged (high on narcotic), and there are more criminals who do not care whether they kill a law enforcement officer in the line of duty or an innocent bystander. The days of “Officer, take me to counter back” that’s over and we must accept the fact that our law enforcement officers face real time danger than any other time in our history.

Chief Inspector Ben Asiamah must be burial must proceed with the raising of the Ghana flag to half-staff and the bagpipes player play “God Bless Our Homeland Ghana” to honour him. Ben Asiamah has been described as a dedicated officer, an energetic leader and a strong role model for younger officers.

A framed picture of each of our fallen law enforcement heroes must be displayed at the National Law Enforcement Memorial as tribute to their great heroic act to protect their fellow citizens. These men and women of Ghana Law Enforcement names must be remembered for ever. These men and women paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, to protect and defend the freedom of fellow Ghanaians.

Peter Jeffrey