General News of Saturday, 15 July 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-07-15
Mr Norgbey revealed that the gun of the victim failed to fire, leaving him vulnerable to the robbers
Some Parliamentarians say the Interior Minister must appear before the House to answer questions on why weapons handed to police personnel who are up against highly sophisticated armed robbers does not work.
The incident led to the death of Constable Daniel Owusu and has also left Constable Djibril Alhassan in a critical condition.
In what some have been described as an action movie gone bad, “the police who was part of the team chasing the robbers went closer to them and they shot them three times. He dropped on the floor but I cannot tell if he is dead,” an eye witness said.
The armed men he indicated, abandoned their motorbikes and snatched an ash Hyundai Sonata car from its driver in the full glare of the public.
A member of Parliament’s Defense and Interior Committee, Ernest Henry Norgbey, on Friday revealed he has information the gun of the victim failed to fire, leaving him vulnerable to the robbers.
Mr Norgbey vows to initiate processes to get the Minister to appear before MPs to answer questions about the bad nature of weapons and equipment being used by the security agencies.
“A police officer was on duty trying to fire and he could not. If there are no proper logistics for the people who are to protect us then, we are doomed in this country.”
The Ashiaman MP said going forward, the country should provide logistics for police officers emphasising “they need every protection they need for their work to fight crime for the community.”
He said it is time to increase the intake of the police to match the situation in western countries where the police are seen protecting the citizens and not citizens killing the police.
Meanwhile, the police administration itself has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) David Asante Appeatu, while commissioning the Kaneshie Police Divisional Headquarters, announced an expanded search by placing a GHC10,000 bounty on the heads of the killers.
The IGP, however, admitted the police force is faced with serious logistical challenges in their fight against crime.
Already there is a review of the Police operational strategy following the daylight attack on the busy street.
