Firebrand lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has surprisingly given a HUGE thumbs up to the Ghana Police Service for finally getting their act together and being upfront with the public!
The outspoken activist, known for his fiery criticisms, reckons the current police top brass are doing a cracking job of keeping Ghanaians in the loop, especially when it comes to those juicy, high-profile cases.
Barker-Vormawor was particularly chuffed about the police nailing those cross-border baddies, hailing their professionalism in rescuing kidnapped victims all the way from Nigeria and nabbing another suspect in Togo. “Big thumbs up to them for the smoothness!” he declared.
He reckons this new open-door policy is the key to winning back the trust of the public, saying that keeping everyone informed is a “powerful tool” for building confidence.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses! Barker-Vormawor couldn’t resist taking a swipe at previous police chiefs, accusing them of being more interested in flashing their faces in front of the cameras than actually fixing the problems within the force.
He blasted one former boss for being a “media darling” who tried to “cover up rot and abuse through disinformation” instead of getting down to the nitty-gritty of real reform.
In stark contrast, Barker-Vormawor couldn’t praise the current Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, enough, commending his low-key approach and for letting other officers take the spotlight. “He better continue well,” Barker-Vormawor warned with a cheeky grin.
However, despite the recent praise, the activist made it clear that there’s still a long way to go. He pointed out that “too much unprofessional policing goes unchecked” and that the boys in blue need to seriously sort out the “deep-rooted structural issues” and stop trampling on citizens’ rights.
Barker-Vormawor called for some serious internal discipline, suggesting the police could learn a thing or two from the military when it comes to keeping their house in order.
To really clean things up, he wants a beefed-up Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau – the police’s own internal watchdog.
His radical idea?
Unleash more undercover cops within the force to sniff out the bad eggs! He even suggested teaming up with national security to boot out the corrupt ones.
And he wasn’t having any of those “hide a camera in the bush” PR stunts, branding them as fake attempts at modernization. “Effective Policing is systems, not settings,” he scoffed.
So, while Barker-Vormawor is clearly impressed with the recent transparency push, he’s not letting the police off the hook just yet. He’s still demanding some serious changes to make sure the Ghana Police Service truly earns the public’s trust.