Irbard Ibrahim has voiced strong support for the two-year contract extension granted to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
Mr Ibrahim asserts that the IGP has sufficiently distinguished himself to warrant the extension.
He noted that under IGP Yohuno’s leadership, the crime rate has drastically reduced.
He highlighted that the activities of the police have been decentralised, empowering commanders at various local levels to interact with the media and provide updates on policing matters.
The analyst disagreed with critics who have claimed that the IGP has underperformed.
According to Irbard Ibrahim, those who compare the current IGP’s performance to that of former IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare may be mistaken.
He suggested that Christian Tetteh Yohuno is not a “social media IGP” who seeks to constantly publicise his achievements, which may lead some to wrongly perceive him as incompetent.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he acknowledged that the former IGP, Dr Dampare, did his best and effectively leveraged social media to become popular.
However, he pointed out that one of Dr Dampare’s flaws was the centralisation of police communication, coupled with challenges like delays in promotions, which negatively affected morale within the service.
The new IGP, he stressed, has successfully decentralised communication, allowing local commanders to hold press conferences and provide updates on investigations, arrests, and the prosecution of suspected criminals.
“This current IGP is not a social media police. He is not entirely media friendly, but Dampare was more media friendly. But they both have their style of leadership and how they manage the GPS. Since the appointment of the new IGP, crime has drastically reduced, and armed robbery has reduced. Also, the attacks on bullion vans have also reduced. The police itself has been decentralised. It was centralised, and communication was limited to the headquarters. District and Divisional Commanders were unable to provide updates on issues. But today, the commanders are able to organise press conferences to provide updates. So it is no more about the IGP alone as a star. This one is decentralised, and I think it will give others the opportunity to rise.”
Call for Improved Visibility
Meanwhile, the analyst offered counsel to the IGP, advising him to urgently improve police visibility, which he currently assesses as poor and contributing to an environment where criminals can operate more freely.
He stressed that if additional resources are required to enhance police visibility, they must be allocated to the service with immediate effect.
“The current IGP has done his best, but where there are deficiencies is that visibility is currently poor. The police must improve visibility. If the budget allocated to the IGP is inadequate, it must be increased so he and his officers will improve visibility. Visibility deters crime, and that was absolutely missing during his time as IGP.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
