The Director of Police Public Affairs, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori has been explaining the presence of scores of police personnel at the recently held press conference organized by the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG).
\nQuite a sizeable number of policemen besieged the main Lorry Park near the 37 Military Hospital, where the pro-opposition group was holding a Press Conference to announce its next line of action after the expiration of an ultimatum to the government to reverse recent petroleum price increases.
\nAccording to Supt. Kwesi Ofori, the police only went there only to protect life and property and not to intimidate or scare anybody.
\nSpeaking in an interview on Peace FM\u2019s Kokrokoo Morning Show, the Police P.R.O said the police was suspicious of the choice of venue for the Press Conference because such events are usually held in enclosed areas and it was quite unfamiliar for it to be held in an open space.
\n\u201cThe police had an information that AFAG members was having a Press Conference in the 37 hospital lorry park so we moved in there to protect the market women, drivers and passengers at large because we all know that Press Conferences are usually held with journalist in halls and known places but an open space was quite suspicious,\u201d he noted.
\nHe noted that the 37 Military Hospital Lorry Station is a strategic point and falls within geographical area of major infrastructures.
\n\u201cThat place is a very strategic area, it is close to the 37 Military Hospital, Lands Commission\u2026The Airport Runway ends almost at the same place and there are a whole lot of institutions and filling stations so it was weird for a Press Conference with that magnitude of people going on there,\u201d he said.
\nHe said it was pointless on the part of AFAG to question their presence, since it is the mandate of the police to be at every public event to avert any form of violence. To him, AFAG\u2019s Press Conference could be equal to a public event like a rally.
\n\u201cIn the Public Order Law, when you are going to do something in public, you have to inform the police and what AFAG did is equal to a public event like holding a rally and there were a lot of people around. They shouldn\u2019t think that everybody present at the meeting was in support of what they were saying and if anything goes wrong, it will affect everybody,\u201d he explained.
\nThe Director of Operations for AFAG, Samuel Awuku speaking on the same platform, however, countered that the venue of their press conference cannot be subjected to any questioning. He argued that though it was normal for a few Police officers to be present to offer protection, swarming the place with hordes of fully armed security officials amidst the blaring of police sirens was superfluous.
\nAccording to him, the press conference was in collaboration with the Progressive Nationalist Forum, the Generational Youth Movement and some Drivers\u2019 Groups so it was important for it to be held in close proximity, especially to the drivers.
\nWhiles acknowledging that nobody can stop the police from going about its duty, the charge should not be done in an intimidating atmosphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori has been explaining the presence of scores of police personnel at the recently held press conference organized by the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG). Quite a sizeable number of policemen besieged the main Lorry Park near the 37 Military Hospital, where the pro-opposition group was holding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n