Good Riddance … – POMAB Members Pop Champagne Over IGP’s ‘Sack’

The one-man leadership style of the allegedly outgoing Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has been criticized with police officers jubilating over alleged reports of his sacking.

Several top police sources including some members of the top Police Management Board (POMAB) faulted the IGP for carrying out the duties of his office with “public relations” and self-promotion at the expense of core police duties.

They say his era would go down as one where respect within the ranks fell at its lowest as he reportedly created “police cliques” who felt they were above the law in their operation while investing in promoting his image.

Senior, middle ranking and junior police officers who spoke to this portal say the departure of Dampare is “good riddance for the police service esprit de corps”.

Various report are emerging suggesting the IGP has been asked to proceed on leave and hand over hos duties to his Deputy.

This comes after the release of a leaked tape report in which the IGP is alleged to have perjured himself about his relationship with Bugri Naabu and the issues over the award of police boots contract to the latter.

Also, this report of his sacking comes after the Interior Minister ordered Dampare to, with immediate effect, suspend an upcoming 53rd Cadet Course for Senior Police Officers over “damning discoveries”.

At the time, a confidential letter of directive to the IGP sighted by MyNewsGh.com and signed by Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, said the 53^rd senior officers course at the National Police Academy and Training School which the IGP had ordered should be put on hold.

Under Dampare’s leadership, similar “issues” surrounded the 51st Officer Cadet Training which caught the attention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

In 2022, the OSP said it had commenced full investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the recruitment exercise of Course 51 of Cadet Officers Training at the same Ghana Police academy under IGP Dampare.

The investigations target specific cases of alleged corruption in 2022 where slots for 51st police Cadet Officers Training was shared and allegedly sold like confetti without recourse to the exams written with suspected very top-level complicity. The Course 51 Cadet Officers Recruitments investigation related to using public office for profit, abuse of office, abuse of power, favouritism, nepotism, victimization, including the selection of unqualified persons