The Inspector General of Police has admitted his men on secondment to national security breached several rules of engagement within the police service regulation and will be dealt with.

According to David Asante Apeatu, while the service allows minimum use of office during its operations, it frowns on assault, torture and the disproportionate use of force.

He told members of the three-member Emile Short Commission, investigating the violent incidents that attended the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election that he saw acts of violence including the assault on the Member of Parliament Sam George.

He also confirmed that the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) whose duty it is to ensure discipline within the service has already started its investigations and have invited the police personnel who were part of the team of national security operatives who invaded the Ayawaso Wuogon constituency during the by-elections for questioning.

He was emphatic that any officer who fired a bullet or gave a command for one to be fired would be called upon to justify before the judicial body why the rounds were fired, its impact and possible casualties.

Background

At least nine persons were said to have been injured some with gunshot wounds after a standing force within the national security set up invaded the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency on the day of the by-election.

They were said to have engaged some vigilante groups affiliated to the NDC in violent exchanges, a claim the opposition party has vehemently denied. They insisted there was no vigilante group brought to Ayawaso West Wougon by the NDC.

Officers of the National Security claimed they had received intelligence the day before the election that the NDC had brought in men from Tamale to disrupt the election and so they moved in to foil it.

The Member of Parliament for Prampram was assaulted in the ensuing confrontation by the men from National Security operatives some of whom he claimed were members of the NPP vigilante groups.

Testimony

Giving his testimony before the Commission, the IGP stated he was not aware about the operation by the national security, something he said was inappropriate even thought it was not unlawful.

He said there is “a lot of room for collaboration and cooperation” between the various service personnel within the security architecture.

Warning shots

There have been various testimonies about gunshots some of which were said to be warning shots while other were said to have been aimed at people.

Providing his professional expertise, the IGP said warning shots must only be fired perpendicularly in the air. If it goes up it will come down by the natural force of gravity and will not be dangerous. However in firing a warning shot, if a weapon is tilted it could kill a person.

Having gone to the places where the violent scenes were recorded, he said he observed some of the shots on the containers could not have been a proper warning shot.

He also stated that given the gun shot marks on trees, if they were aimed at people there would have been fatalities.

He also denied reports that the marks on a school building were gunshot marks, adding, they were nail marks on school walls and not gun shots.

He was quick to add though that if they get all the weapons they could match the cartridge cases to the weapons that discharged the rounds but that was yet to be done.

He presented an interim report of the incident to the police, saying a final report will soon be issued.