On a serene Christmas in Ghana, Police officers patrolled the festive streets.
Amidst the celebration, motorists attempted to slip a bribe, expecting an easy escape from a minor traffic violation.
However, police officers embodying integrity, firmly rejected the offer, emphasizing that their duty was guided by principles rather than personal gain.
The news of this honorable act spread, earning the police department respect and admiration from the community, making it a Christmas to remember for all the right reasons.
The revelation was made on Monday, January 15, 2024, at the Police Headquarters, during a debriefing session of police operations during the festive period.
The Ghana Police Service was cited as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country in research by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2021.
Research in 2022 by the Ghana Statistical Service with other stakeholders in the fight against corruption has ranked the Service as the most corrupt institution among 23 other institutions sampled.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector General of Police, vehemently rejected the characterization of the Police Service as the most corrupt institution, labeling such research as questionable and challenging its validity.
Despite public offers of money during snap-check operations, officers, relying on divine grace, proudly rejected bribes.
General Constable Sowu speaking at the meeting said, “First of all, I thank our IGP and POMAG members for this general task he gave us during Christmas. Sir, what we learned on our duty is that when the Senior Officers dispatch us on duty, they advise us on extortion. When we go out there too, truly, some of these civilians like to be giving us money. But, by God’s grace, we always reject this kind of money.”
COP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, the Director General of Administration at the Ghana Police Service, urged officers to persist in avoiding bribery.
He said “The assurance given by the men is that all the attempts to bribe them, they rejected them and that is kudos to them. We want to tell the other policemen who are home, and in their various places preparing to go to work and are not part of these galaxy stars that they should take the example from these people and make sure that they reject anything given to them. When we continue to do this, I tell you a time will come when Ghana Police Service, will never appear in any corruption rating.
Source: PulseGhana
