The Volta Regional Police Command has engaged traders and market women in parts of the Southern Volta Region to hear their concerns following allegations of harassment and extortion by some police officers stationed along the Aflao-Accra highway.
The engagement, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Wisdom Akorli, Volta Regional Police Commander, was part of the Command’s efforts to obtain first-hand information from traders and other road users about their experiences with police personnel along the highway.
The exercise followed a petition by Mr Daniel Jerry Sorokpo, a youth activist and aspiring NDC Vice Chairman of the Ketu South Constituency, to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohunu, over alleged harassment and extortion of traders transporting goods along the corridor.
Following the petition, the IGP invited the Volta Regional Police Commander to Accra to discuss the concerns raised, after which the Regional Commander and his team embarked on an outreach exercise to engage traders and hear their experiences firsthand.
The team started the engagement at Sogakope and proceeded through Akatsi and Agbozume before reaching Aflao, where traders had the opportunity to raise concerns about their encounters with police personnel on the highway.
Chief Inspector Francis Kwaku Gomado, Volta Regional Police Public Relations Officer, told the media that the exercise was intended to enable the Command to understand the issues on the ground and take appropriate steps to address any misconduct identified.
He said the Command had received reports alleging that some police officers along the Aflao-Accra highway were harassing traders and demanding money from them while they transported goods.
Chief Inspector Gomado stressed that police officers had no authority to demand money from traders or other road users simply because they were transporting goods.
He also expressed concern about reports that some traders and travellers were detained for several hours along the highway, describing such conduct as unacceptable.
The Regional Police PRO urged members of the public who experienced harassment, extortion or other forms of misconduct by police personnel to report directly to the Regional Police Commander or his deputies for investigation.
He advised the public to note officers who failed to properly display their names on their uniforms and to report such cases to the appropriate authorities.
According to the petition, traders transporting commodities such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, beans, and vegetables were sometimes stopped by police officers and asked to produce receipts for their goods.
It alleged that traders who were unable to produce the required receipts were sometimes compelled to pay money to the officers.
Some market women who interacted with the Police team also confirmed the allegations, claiming that some officers demanded amounts of not less than GH¢50 from them.
They said such demands were sometimes made even when they were transporting goods from their homes to nearby local markets.
The traders, however, expressed appreciation to the Regional Police Command for engaging with them directly and listening to their concerns.
They said the exercise was important in helping the Police understand the challenges faced by traders and could help restore confidence between the two groups.
Mr Sorokpo, in his petition to the IGP, called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and for appropriate action against any police officer found to have acted unlawfully or abused their authority.
The engagement is expected to provide the Police Command with first-hand accounts from traders and other road users and assist in identifying areas requiring further investigation and action along the Aflao-Accra corridor.
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