IGP’s response to British High Commissioner is disgusting – Sammy Gyamfi

National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress has criticised the IGP, George Akuffo-Dampare for his response to a tweet by the British High Commissioner.

Taking to Twitter, the lawyer who found nothing wrong with the statement described the response as “disgusting and an embarrassment to the nation.”

“The arrogance and intolerance displayed by the IGP in his response to a harmless tweet by the British High Commissioner to Ghana is disgusting, to say the least,” he said.

This follows the release of a four-page document by the Ghana Police Service signed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, accusing the British High Commissioner of meddling in the internal affairs of the country and further instructing her to mind her own business.

“…we consider your tweet as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host country,” he said and further recommended the Ghanaian saying, that goes ‘Di wo fie asem’ to wit learn to keep within the limits that concerns you,” to guide her in her diplomatic engagements.

The IGP’s comment followed a tweet by the British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, on May 17 after Oliver Barker Vormawor was arrested for a traffic offence.

“Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry Movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes,” she said.

Registering his displeasure over how the IGP had handled the matter, Mr Gyamfi said the response is likely to mar the long-standing diplomatic relations that exist between Ghana and the United Kingdom.

“His May 20, 2022 letter, a copy of which is attached to this post, is in very bad taste and has the potential of undermining Ghana’s long-standing diplomatic relations with the UK.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the tweet by the British High Commissioner which is what appears to have angered our celebrity IGP.

He added that “if Dampare had apprised himself of Article 3(d) of the Vienna Convention, I am not sure he would have embarrassed himself and the nation this way.

“No wonder harassment, human rights abuse, and extra-judicial killing of innocent Ghanaians by some rogue elements in the Ghana Police Service is on the ascendancy. IGP Dampare must know that the Police Service, like any other human institution, is not sacrosanct and not immune from criticism.

“The least expectation of a leader worth his salt is to focus on cleaning up the battered image of the Police and restoring public confidence in the Service. Defending wrong-doing while snapping at genuine criticism is not the new dawn of Policing that he promised us,” he said.

Source: Myjoyonline