Ex Inspector Johnson to report to Director CID

Page 21: September 5, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Police Administration has invited ex-Inspector Albert Johnson to report to the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to assist in investigations into the alleged disappearance of weapons from the Tamale Police armoury.
Ex-Inspector Johnson, alleged on an Accra-based radio station on Wednesday that a number of rifles and ammunition had been stolen from the Tamale armoury and sold to civilians, who use them to commit violent crime and to fuel the ethnic conflict in the Northern Region.
In response to those allegations, the Police Administration constituted a team of police experts to investigate the alleged disappearance of weapons from the Tamale Police armoury.
It further caused the arrest of Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Mahama Nantogma, who was in charge of the police armoury in Tamale to assist in the investigations.
The Director of Police Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic today that it was unfortunate that during the tenure of Ex-Inspector Johnson’s job in the police, he never alerted the authorities on the alleged theft of weapons but rather chose to make those allegations on radio after his resignation.
He said Ex-Inspector Johnson was required to substantiate those allegations.
He said it was in line with the open policy of the Police Administration that a team of officers from the Arms and Ammunition Registry of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters, the Police Intelligence and Professional Standard Bureau and the Internal Audit Directory, had been constituted to investigate the allegations.
In addition to the investigations, he said, the team was also to conduct a thorough audit of the weapon facilities of the police in the Northern Region.
DSP Ofori said the appearance of Ex-Inspector Johnson before the Director-General of CID would go a long way in the investigations.
He appealed to any member of the public who had information regarding any weapon dealings to contact the CID boss.
He said those who knew of such offences but failed to report could not be described as good citizens.
DSP Ofori said the outcome of the investigations would be made known to the public to assure Ghanaians that the Police Administration would do whatever it could to ensure the safety of the people at all times.
He said the administration was determined to flush out all miscreants and indisciplined police personnel from the system.