Ghanaians have called on the Acting Inspector of Police in waiting, Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to restore public trust in the Police.

The call was to the effect that Police personnel had in recent times not been professional in their overall conduct and crowd control activities.

Some citizens claimed that the Ghana Police Service had failed to solve many crimes and for those which were even unraveled, it took them a long time to do so.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency on Thursday, Mr Kwame Badu, a 29-year-old cart pusher, said he was excited about the appointment of Dr Dampareh as the new IGP because of the level of professionalism he had demonstrated over the years.

He recounted that it during Dr Dampare, tenure as the Accra Regional Police Commander, that the fruitful investigation was done on JB Danquah Adu’s murder, leading to the prompt arrest of some suspects.

He expected many top profiled criminal cases yet to be unraveled would be given prompt attention and the perpetrators brought to book immediately.

Madam Kuukua Opare, a 26-year-old Physiotherapist, said the Police had not been consistent with their public updates on criminal cases, as such, citizens sometimes lost track of progress being made.

“There has been a lot of murders, stealing and others crimes that have threatened Ghana’s state of security. Details of some of these incidents are brought to the public light in its initial stages but we don’t continue getting follow ups on the cases. The new IGP should ensure more accountability and transparency in the reportage on criminal cases so that we can understand the situation better,” she added.

Mr Emmanuel Adarkwa, 28-year-old Court clerk, said Police personnel lacked the requisite crime combatting weaponry which made it difficult for them to fight criminals who in recent times operated with sophisticated weapons.

He said the IGP should push for the re-tooling of the Service with modern weapons and enroll Personnel in basic Information Communication Technology (IT) courses to enhance their ability to track criminals and quickly unravel criminal cases.

“Even though it is important that Police are given sophisticated weapons, they should also be kept in check to prevent abuse of the weapons or its misuse. It is quite unfortunate that most people do not fear the Police because they are regarded as weak unlike the Military.

“I suggest that Personnel should be taken through more physical training, specifically hands on combat so that in most cases, even without the use of weapons they can physically overpower criminals,” he added.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 appointed Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr George Akuffo Dampare to serve as Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), effective Sunday, August 1, 2021.

This follows the President’s directive that Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, the current IGP, should embark on leave pending his retirement from active Police Service, on Thursday, October 7, 2021.

Prior to his appointment as IGP, COP Dr Dampare was the Director General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service.

He joined the Service as a Constable and worked his way up the ladder with over three decades of service to the country, rising to the rank of a COP.

Dr Dampare joined the Service 32 years ago without a secondary school education.

In 1991, on completion of his recruit training, Dr. Dampare was adjudged the overall Best Recruit at the National Police Training School and won all awards except the award for the ‘Best Marksman’.

Again in 1996, he emerged the overall Best Cadet for the 32nd Cadet Officers’ Course at the Ghana Police Academy (formerly, Police College) and won all awards, including Excellence in Professional Police Subjects and Excellence in Academic Subjects.

He subsequently rose in ranks after completing various courses to become an ACCA chartered accountant.

The COP also worked as a Research Fellow and lecturer at King’s College, University of London.

The new acting IGP also lectured at the University of Cape-Coast (UCC), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Regent University College and the Data Link University College.

He is also one of the pioneer lecturers at the Business School of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.

He has served as the Director General of Finance, Director General in charge of Welfare, Director General of Information Communication Technology, Commandant of the Police Command and Staff College, Accra Region Police Commander, Director General, Administration, among others.

COP Dr Dampare became a Chartered Accountant at the age of 25 while serving as a Police Constable and currently holds a PhD in Finance.

COP Dampare was a Special Assistant to the Regional Commander, United Nations Mission in Bosnia Herzegovina, Municipal Police Commander, Cape Coast, ADC to the Vice President of Ghana, Accountant/Finance Officer, Ghana Police Service and the Head of Police and Narcotics Desk at the Ministry of Interior.

He is married and has six children.