Police decline request to supervise weapon-laden demo on June 4

The Ghana Police Service has said it cannot superintend a demonstration in which protestors carry weapons.

According to the Service, they are ever-ready to provide security and protection for any legal protest but not one which involved wielding weapons.

The police’s response was captured in a statement issued by the Greater Accra Regional Command and signed by Chief Inspector Bright Kwabena Danso of the Public Affairs Unit.

Chief Inspector Danso revealed that the police administration received a notice from a group of persons, including Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, Captain Godsbrain Smart, Benjamin Darko, and Oliver Barker-Vormawor to embark on a three-day demonstration starting Saturday, June 4.

The petitioners among other things demanded the following:

• That the demonstrators intend to embark on a three-day demonstration, starting on 4th June 2022.
• That the demonstrators intend to contract a private security company to provide protection for the demonstrators.
• That the demonstrators and the contracted private security personnel will be armed with weapons.
• That the armed demonstrators will picket at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Ghana Police Headquarters.
• That at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), they will demand to speak directly to the nation on GTV and lay out their grievances.

But responding to their request, the police said “we are therefore unable to provide security for a demonstration which is in flagrant violation of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 49) and has the potential to result in a breach of public order and public safety.”

They explained further that “we wish to assure the public that in the interest of public safety and security, the Police are putting in place all necessary measures to ensure that unauthorised persons do not march the streets with weapons.”