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0 The Country Director of Amnesty International Ghana, Genevieve Partington, has revealed that engaging with the police leadership under immediate past Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare was challenging.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, March 15, she explained that efforts to collaborate with the police, particularly for a documentary on protests in Ghana, were met with silence.
“It was very difficult to meet the police leadership while Dampare was the IGP. We had challenges,”she said.
She added that Amnesty International even delayed the release of a documentary on protests in Ghana, their impacts and the history of protests and requested the police to take part but they never heard from the police after several requests.
“We reached out several times, requesting their participation in our documentary on protests and their impact, but we never heard back. It was always, ‘We will get back to you,’ but that never happened,” she stated.
She acknowledged that the police were always present at Amnesty-organised events. However, she noted that interactions with leadership were different, which she attributed to the long-standing complexities between security forces and human rights organisations.
Commenting on Dampare’s removal, she remarked that changes in security leadership are common with new governments.
“I just feel that every government eventually replaces security forces as they proceed, so his removal was expected, regardless of his performance,” she said.
