Both traditional media and social media have been washed with a campaign on who succeeds the current IGP David Asante Appeatu. This in itself is very unfortunate because it is culturally not good to wish for the exit of a leader when time is not due. For a sensitive office like that of the Inspector General of Police three (3) months means a lot and any such discussions would set us further into distractions.
The current IGP has been a champion of police reforms and has done a lot to by introducing new policies aimed at equipping the Service into a modern one. It is under his term that the police service has received much logistical support from vehicles, arms and ammunition to the novelty of introducing a police air patrol team. Indeed IGP Appeatu is a fine gentleman and people mistaken his posture as one that lacks bravado which I must say should be seen in the next IGP.
The current clamor in the public which has been supported by a group of political party communicators have been led by people close to COP Dampare which indeed is not the best for the morale of the service.
COP Dr George Akuffo Dampare has been in the Ghana Police Service for 27 years. He joined the service as a Constable and has risen to the highest rank of Commissioner of Police, becoming one of the youngest Police Officers to have attained this in recent years.
He has served in many leadership capacities in the Service including; Director General (Finance), Director General (Welfare), Director General (ICT), Commandant of the Police Command and Staff College, and Accra Region Police Commander.
He became a chartered accountant at the age of 25 while serving as a Police Constable and currently holds a PhD in Finance. He has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
COP Dampare has been Municipal Police Commander, Cape Coast, ADC to the Vice President of Ghana (the Late Prof. Evans Atta Mills) something that one can only be selected based on loyalty.
Accountant/Finance Officer, Ghana Police Service and the Head of Police and Narcotics Desk at the Ministry of Interior (2009-2011).
Certain Critical Observations
COP Dr Dampare has been a beneficiary incremental promotion which over the period has catapulted him to becoming a Commissioner of Police at a relatively young age.
COP Dampare was the Commander of the police visibility unit under the leadership of IGP, Mohammed Alhassan. It is noted that he combined this office with being Director-General for Finance which others complained about as favoritism on the side of the IGP.
COP Dampare has a strong academic background and can help develop policy for modernizing the police service. In recent years his inability to handle crime issues led to his removal as Director-General of Operations.
Even though COP Dampare’s loyalty cannot be trusted, He has recently warmed up into the rank of the ruling NPP government due to his maternal roots as an Akyem even though he as an individual worked and spoke distastefully of the ruling party and the then Opposition leader COP Dampare and DCOP Gyening made lots of negative comments about the NPP which was demoralizing. To the extent that they ascribed President Kufour to have recruited armed robbers and criminals to the service. These are police officers who are still serving in the service and one would ask how COP Dampare would work with them should he be made IGP.
COP Dampare is not well accepted by the file of the party due to certain deductions made during his tenure as Director General of Finance
Also there have been some marital issues which are considered because his former wife was a junior officer.
With the age of COP Dampare, there is about 12 more years to have him refine more and build other operational competence for future leadership of the Police service.
OTHER NAMES COMING UP
Nathan Kofi Boakye
COP Kofi Boakye has served the Ghana Police Service for the last 31 years as he enlisted as an officer cadet.
COP Kofi Boakye holds a Second Class Upper in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Masters in Public Administration from the University of Ghana, a Postgraduate Certificate in Criminology, and Police Management from Leicester University, UK.
He also has a certificate in Ballistics from Metropolitan Support Services, UK and a Certificate in Combating Arm Violence from Mubarak Academy in Egypt.
Mr. Kofi Boakye took the nation by surprise in 2008 when he picked five awards during his graduation from the law school.
Observations.
COP Kofi Boakye is well liked within the rank and file of the police service and is regarded as an action man with moral.
COP Boakye’s Loyalty should zero him as first choice because of the current crime rate and insecurity issues which he has fought well whenever he’s been commander.
He is known to have the welfare of junior officers at heart.
His deep operational skills led to the areas of the famous criminal Atta Ayi in February, 2005.
He is noted for introducing auxiliary action Units to the police operational structure (Panthers Unit and Monitors) who helped to bring down crime rates in Greater Accra and beyond.
In the Ashanti Region he is noted for championing to upgrade of security and residential infrastructure in the region. This he did in collaboration with members of parliament and the local district assemblies.
Generally, COP Kofi Boakye has a broad network and indeed has won the admiration of people of various walks of life, from the political class, the entertainment and showbiz industry, the sporting fraternity where he’s credited with a martial art belt and also as he has served as Chairman of the GFA Disciplinary Committee in times past.
COP Kofi Boakye has worked as a detective with the Criminal laboratory, at the district level as a Crime Officer, Divisional Commander, Regional Commander for more than 3 regions with greater Accra and Ashanti Region part, National HEMBAL member. Enviably he has ticked all the boxes as a career police officer.
Victimization
Mr. Kofi Boakye was interdicted by the Police administration for his role in a controversial cocaine case that hit the country in 2006 but was exonerated by the Georgina Wood Committee which didn’t find anything wrong with his modules of operations and tactics when it comes to crime investigation.
In 2009 when he was re-instated he was posted to the Police Education Unit, Tesano and responsible for the Airport Police Primary and JHS, Police Depot JHS and the Kumasi Police Basic School. This was a move to frustrate COP Boakye whose rank was above that schedule but he distinguished himself creditably.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Security Caucus of Kumasi in 2015 charged and petitioned President John Mahama to quickly remove DCOP Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, and two other top police officers from the region because their activities were not favorable for the One Million Vote Agenda of the NDC in the Region. This led to the delay in his promotion to COP to 2016 whiles his mates and juniors had been promoted in 2015.
COP MAAME YAA TIWAA ADDO DANKWA
COP Tiwaa was promoted to the rank of a Sergeant in 1992 because she enlisted with a Diploma in Business Studies Accounting Option which she obtained at the Kumasi Polytechnic between 1988 and 1990.
COP Tiwaa did not rest on her oars. She decided to enroll with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana in 1995 and passed the Level Two examinations successfully. Hence, she was promoted to Chief Inspector. This granted her a direct entry to the Police College in October 1998.
In May 1999, out of a class of 48 (46 men and two women), she was adjudged the All Round Best Cadet and the Best Student in Humanities making her the second female to take that award at that time.
In recognition of her remarkable accomplishment, a special staff of honour was ordered from the United Kingdom (UK) by the then Inspector General of Police (IGP)
COP Tiwaa served as the administrator at the Police Hospital and later as Logistics and Finance Officer for Peace Mission in Kosovo which upon her return she was posted to the Police Headquarters Finance section.
However, she was granted a three-year study leave to pursue a programme in the UK with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).COP Yaa Tiwaa is also a chartered Forensic Accountant.
In 2006 she was attached to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to learn first-hand information on Public Sector Accounting. Therefore, after 10 months, she was assigned to head the Commercial Crime Unit (CCRU) of the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for three years.
COP Tiwaa is Ghana’s first female a Certified Fraud Examiner.
COP Yaa Tiwaa was instrumental in reviving the then defunct CID Training School, which is located at the Police Training Depot, back to life.
On November 6, 2013, when the IGP, established the GPCSC at Winneba, COP Yaa Tiwaa was appointed the first female Commandant of the college. Her leadership at the Command and Staff College brought it to the level. Since she left nothing has been added.
She has served as Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department and currently the substantive Director-General.
COP Yaa Tiwaa who is a die-hard Catholic worships with the St Peter’s Parish at Osu and is the Vice-Chairperson of the Pastoral Council.
She is also very well-liked by the rank and file of the service who have always been in support of her leadership style.
President J A Kufour is known to have appointed the first female Deputy IGP in the person of Mrs. Robertson Mills as well as Her Ladyship Mrs Georgina Wood who is the first female Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana.
This earned His Excellency the former President accolades on the international stage when it comes promoting gender equality in crime administration.
His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo who has earned the accolade as AU Gender Champion for including a lot of women in governance would not be far from wrong if he appoints COP Yaa Tiwaa as IGP.
In conclusion two (2) critical question thought provoking questions?
Why is NDC always attacking COP Yaa Tiwaa?
Why did NDC in Ashanti do a conference against Kofi Boakye towards election 2016?
The choice of who to take over should be left out of the media space and left the His Excellency the President in consultation with the council of state to take.
It is the prayer of the Nation that the almighty God will touch the President to do what will help the nation.
God bless Kofi Boakye and Maame Tiwaa.
God Bless the Police service and Ghana.
Credit: Dromo Michela Opoku
