Siraj
According to a Graphic Online report, two police officers were detained for failing to intervene when a fellow officer was attacked by some adolescents last Friday in the Kumawu neighbourhood of the Ashanti Region.
Last Friday, Corporal Sylvester Berhene, Constables Isaac Boiatey, and Evans Owusu were on duty at the Won Akotosu snap checkpoint close to Kumawu in the Ashanti Region.
The two policemen on duty with Corporal Berhene were detained for their alleged inability to protect their colleague, neutralize the attackers, and secure their arrest after the latter was attacked while performing his duty.
As a result, the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) has been asked to look into their professional behaviour.
In a press release released early on Sunday morning, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Police Public Affairs, announced the interdiction. (April 9, 2023). Six individuals are now being held by the police after the arrest of a sixth suspect. The seventh suspect still hasn’t been apprehended.
Background
At the Won Akotosu snap checkpoint near Kumawu in the Ashanti Region on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, at around 4:45 pm, three police officers—Constables Isaac Boiatey and Evans Owusu—with Corporal Sylvester Berhene in charge were on duty.
The suspects, Edward Boateng, Evans Addo, Yaw Kusi, Michael Owusu, Yaw Boateng, and Emmanuel Mensah, along with one other suspect who is presently on the run, were pulled up in a taxi at the checkpoint, according to the police preliminary investigation. One of the three police officers who were on duty at the checkpoint noticed the taxi because it was packed with seven male adults.
He, therefore, stopped them and requested to search the car. However, according to the police account, the suspects in an attempt to prevent the police officer from checking the car pounced on him and violently attacked him.
A Police reinforcement team which was responding to the incident succeeded in arresting six of the suspects and efforts are underway to get the last suspect arrested.
The attacked police officer – Corporal Berhene who sustained a knee injury, together with one of the suspects who also sustained some injuries were sent to the hospital for medical attention.
A video depicting portions of the incident has been shared on social media. [Watch attached video below]
According to the police account, while Corporal Sylvester Berhene was conducting the search in the boot of the vehicle, some of the occupants became angry and pounced on him.
They reportedly struggled and put him down on the ground.
A video of that part of the incident is what has been shared on social media.
Fight over “rat carcass”
However, other reports quoting an eyewitness account suggest that the fight with the policeman was as a result of an attempt by the policeman to take the carcass of a rat from the young men.
The young men were reportedly returning from a hunt and had the carcass in the boot of the taxi.
They reportedly resisted the attempt by the police corporal to take away their meat, resulting in the confrontation.
The policeman is alleged to have fired a warning shot, which resulted in the youth pouncing on him in an
The police surveillance team was contacted for reinforcement and when they arrived, the police managed to arrest three of the assailants namely Edward Boateng aged 20 years, Evans Addo aged 20 years and Yaw Kusi aged 22 years.
attempt to prevent him from being able to fire more shots.
Source: TwinkleTag.com
