The shooting of two brothers at the Mampong Midwifery Training College highlights the need for an independent body to investigate police, Ghana's Amnesty International director says.
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Amnesty International says Ghana needs an independent authority to investigate the police.
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Police received a distress call about a robbery incident at Mampong, in the Ashanti region, on February 10 and on arrival police spotted two brothers on a motorcycle and fired at them, believing them to be the armed robbers.
It was later discovered the two brothers, one a tutor, were seeking help for a female tutor who was believed to be under attack. The case is currently being investigated by the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS).
However, Amnesty International Ghana director Lawrence Amesu said the case should be investigated by an independent body.
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"It is unfortunate that the police itself has to investigate the issue," he told Pulse.com.gh.
Amnesty International had been advocating for an independent authority “so people will have trust when they go to report there will be an investigation and the report will be given. Very often the police say they are going to investigate but we don't get the report.”
Amesu also said the shooting is a human right issues, and showed police needed better training on human rights and use of force.
“We call on the police to be very circumspect during these armed robbery situations and mob situations. We can catalogue a list of situations where people lost their lives because live ammunition is used by the police, and most of them are shot from behind which means the people are not necessary attacking the police.”
Amesu said it was understood the men were riding a motorbike away from the police.
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“In my discussions with the police they always say they only shoot if it is a life threatening situation where the police are attacked, in this situation and several other situations we do not think the police are using the appropriate tools for the arrests,” he said.
Police were tasked with arresting suspects and bringing them to justice through the court, Amesu said.
“We have always drawn attention to the fact that if someone is suspected to be an armed robber does not give a licence to the police to shoot and kill, in fact anybody who is concerned to be an armed robber has to be taken through the justice system. Nobody is guilty until proven guilty.
"It is unfortunate we have been having these issues coming very often and the police are the ones taking such action.”
Amnesty would continue to call on police management to provide more training for police, especially recuits.
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Amesu said there should be ongoing training on human rights and acceptable use of force.
However, Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Tanko disputed this.
“We have the needed training to embark upon the activities that we do, but there is no perfection in any human endevour. So there are bound to be mistakes.”
Tanko told Pulse.com.gh the officers involved in the Mampong shooting had said the brothers on the motorcycle appeared to be turning and holding something they suspected to be weapon.
The officers' version of events was to be investigated, Tanko said, and anyone with information was urged to call the police.
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“We agree that it was an unfortunate situation - it shouldn't have happened. That is why the police administration is concerned about it, that is why they have instructed PIPS to take over the situation.”
Tanko could not comment on the need for an independent body to investigate the police, but said there had been calls from within the administration for it.
He said anyone in the police administration suspected of misconduct would be “investigated and duly punished”.
“We have our rules of engagement - you cannot just shoot someone because that person has committed a crime, it is the duty or the direction of the court to punish offenders. Police officers only have to arrest and hand them over to the court after our investigations have been made.
“There's is no way you can assault somebody who you think has committed an offence.”
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