The Ghana Police Service has expressed concerns regarding the report from the study on perceptions of corruption carried out by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
This follows research conducted by the GSS together with CHRAJ and UNODC which ranked the Ghana Police Service as the most corrupt institution in the country.
In the survey, more than 17.4 million bribes were paid in 2021 with Police officers topping the list of officials who take bribes with 53.2%.
In a five-page statement released by the Ghana Police Service and signed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. Akuffo Dampare, on July 27, the use of a selective ranking methodology for the research is to project the outcomes in “a manner that puts an unfair focus on the Police service with all the others in the corruption index escaping public scrutiny.”
According to the IGP, the findings of the research did not delve into several institutions which are believed to have regular encounters with the public regularly.
“It has been observed that the research did not cover some other public institutions such as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Civil Aviation, Audit Service, Parliamentary Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Gaming Commission, Public Media houses, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC), the Attorney General (AG’s) Department, the Registrar Generals Department among others and these are all institutions, we believe, that the public deals with regularly.”
Dr. Dampare also stated that he didn’t know why CHRAJ and GSS did not include themselves in the research.
“We are wondering why you do not think they are also candidates for a corruption investigation, considering that they also provide critical services to the public,” the statement read.
He said instigating a pervasive public preconception over the years, the service has been the institution of choice for such research.
“The Service has almost now become the default institution of choice for such research and has therefore encouraged a deep-seated public stereotype over the years.”
“This stereotype may easily influence respondent choices and it is, therefore, fair to expect that you factor it in assessing the validity of your findings,” IGP noted.
After conducting its review of the report’s findings, the Police expressed amazement that such a significant study did not provide any recommendations and solutions.
The IGP concluded that the findings of the research are “heavily challenged and corrupted from both the academic and practice point of view.”
