IGP Dampare and a team of Police officers
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has maintained that his ascend to the prestigious position of the Inspector General Police(IGP) of the Ghana Police Service was solely based on merit, his competencies and dedication to the profession.
Dismissing any insinuations of favouritism, the IGP insisted that meritocracy had been the cornerstone of his career trajectory.
Appearing before the parliamentary committee tasked with investigating a leaked tape plotting his removal from office yesterday, Dr. Akuffo Dampare articulated his commitment to his duties.
Attributions
He attributed his current position within the Ghana Police Service to his academic qualifications, relentless hard work and an unshakable passion for law enforcement.
“I have not, at any point in time, been called aside by any individual and granted any favour,” Dr. Akuffo Dampare stated.
He also denied any involvement in a plan to secretly record a conversation with the former NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu.
He further indicated that Mr. Naabu never lobbied for him to get the position, while also refuting claims that he is the worst IGP in Ghana’s history.
The IGP stressed that the claim, which was made by COP George Alex Mensah during his parliamentary hearing session on an alleged plot to oust him, is at best a slip of the tongue, and does not reflect reality.
IGP Dampare explained that following his assumption of office, he and his team of officers had worked tirelessly to ensure a total transformation of the Police Service into the best institution Ghana has to offer.
He said such an accusation does not merely fall on his shoulders, but on the shoulders of all the officers working under his command, including his accuser.
“And this is the point, Honourable Chair: since my colleagues and I and the rest of the commands across the country had the opportunity, by the grace of God and the honour done me by His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, we committed ourselves to transforming the organization to become the best institution in the country and a reference point for Africa and beyond in a teamwork fashion based on Genesis 1:26,” he said.
The IGP added: “So, even granted that I am the worst, then all of us collectively are the worst, including my brother who was serving in that capacity as a member of the team that I lead. So, I think it was a slip of the tongue on his part”.
The IGP further revealed that it is his and his team’s mission to give the nation the best police administration in Ghana’s recent history.
Striving for best
“We, the current administration, want to be the best in terms of all those that have come before us. And we have a good reason for that. And we are there, getting on to becoming the best in the history of the country, and I’ll explain.
“The reason why we want to be the best, and we’re getting to be the best as a police administration under my leadership, is that when most of our forbearers were there, … we saw what they did right and the challenges they faced,” he stated.
The IGP added: “So, being a graduate of management and leadership and a continuous student of sociology, psychology and philosophy, it is just clear that when you saw your forbearers doing what they were doing and you saw what they were doing right and the challenges they were facing, and this background, and you have the opportunity, you surely should perform better than them”.
“And it is simple. You do what they were doing right, you learn from their mistakes and make them better. So, if you add them to what they were doing right, there is no way you cannot be better than them. And this is what we’re doing,” he explained.
Ad-hoc committee
The IGP’s appearance before the Ad-hoc committee comes on the heels of accusations made by previous witnesses which the committee deemed necessary to address.
The tape, which has gone viral, allegedly has a number of persons plotting the removal of the IGP. The leaked audio prompted the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to form the Committee. The seven-member Committee comprises representatives from both the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament.
The Committee’s mandate is to investigate the secret recording and its implications regarding the alleged plot to remove IGP Dampare from office as well as provide recommendations to make the Ghana Police Service a better institution of state security.
