Leaked IGP tape: If care isn’t taken the c’ttee hearing will be a trial of the police service – Atta Akyea warns COP Mensah

Chair of the special seven-member committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to investigate the authenticity of leaked tape on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Samuel Atta Akyea has warned the Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, COP George Alex Mensah, that if care is not taken, his utterances before the committee will result in a trial of the entire police service.

This was after COP Alex Mensah described the IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare as the worst IGP in the history of the service.

COP Alex Mensah had also accused Dr Dampare of not managing the service well.

He made this known on Friday, September 1 when he appeared before the committee.

He said “What I said yesterday if you give me the chance today I will say so again, he is not managing the service well. For me, for the 31 years that I have been in the service, I can tell you he is the worst IGP we have had.”

But Atta Akyea who is also lawmaker for Akim Abuakwa South told him “Yesterday, we realized that if we are not careful this will be a trial of the entire police service.”

When COP Alex Mensah appeared before the committee on Thursday, he indicated that although there is no bad blood between him and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare there are professional disagreements between them occasionally at the top level.

COP Alex Mensah described himself as one who is open and forward because “I speak my mind”.

He was captured together with some senior police officers and the former Northern Region Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Daniel Bugri Naabu, in a conversation ostensibly plotting to remove the IGP before the 2024 elections.

The tape had suggested that the IGP was doing the bidding of former President John Dramani Mahama, who has promised to keep him at post.

Though Chief Bugri Naabu confirmed the content of the tape, COP Alex Mensah denied the content saying portions have been “edited”. Notwithstanding, he said he has no issues whatsoever with the current IGP.