IGP orders PIPS to investigate

Europa

April 19, 2016 7:21 PM

Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum at the Public Accounts hearing on Monday accused the police of not paying water bills and rather arresting water company officials who come to disconnect them.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. John Kudalor

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. John Kudalor has ordered the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau, PIPS to investigate reports of police intimidating officers from the Ghana Water Company who come to them to collect bills.

“Our officers are doing their best. Sometimes they even go to disconnect people and they get pursued by police in some cases …institutions like police if you go to collect your bills sometimes we have difficulties. They do not want you to disconnect them and they do not want to pay the bills as well, but our officers are doing their best to get our monies back.

“There have been instances our officers will go to disconnect the police and the police will actually arrest them. The only charge is that they have not paid their bills and our officers are disconnecting them,” he said.

But in a response, the IGP has told the Public Accounts hearing on Tuesday that he is expecting an independent report on the matter from PIPS.

"I heard of it yesterday, and immediately I made a check. I have a reply to that query on my phone and I've forwarded it to my minister," he said.

According to the IGP, his investigations from the Half Assin police commander on the issue however indicated otherwise. He said there was a water shortage at the central Half Assin township, which the police in the area thought was normal, only to be told it was a disconnection exercise.

The Half Assin police, the IGP said, therefore went over to the district manager of the Half Assin water company, who subsequently reconnected their water supply.

"There was no scuffle, nobody was arrested," the IGP said.

Europa