Policing is a sacrificial job – Awutu Breku Commander
The Awutu Breku District Police Commander, Superintendent Joshua Semanyoh, has appealed to citizens to assist the police in discharging their duties.
The police have a tough task in implementing vagrancy laws, and the commander has requested cooperation to make their work easier.
Addressing representatives at a ‘Decriminalising of vagrancy laws and advocacy project’ at Senya Breku in the Central Region, Superintendent Semeyoh stressed: “For the laws to work, we need you to work hand in hand with us because policing is a sacrificial job”.
He said it was time Ghana had an alternative sentencing regime for misdemeanours.
“We are ready to work with the District Assembly. We should be able to resolve petty offending issues without necessarily referring them to the court. We can do these things amicably,” he said.
“Do everything possible to avoid jail because it is not a pleasant experience, and you can only do this by adhering to the laws of the country,” he appealed.
The project is being implemented due to District Assemblies bylaws, which appear to have sent poor people into prison.
The laws include the imposition of exorbitant fines that vagrants are unable to pay.
The Executive Director of Crime Prevention Organisation, Crime Check Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong-Kwarteng, said such laws “continue to oppress the poor”.
He urged the assembly to find an alternative sentencing regime as a creative way of raising money without placing a burden on vagrants.
“Find creative ways of raising revenue because central government alone cannot solve all the problems in the district,” he admonished.
The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), an umbrella body for lawyers on the continent, took the criminalization of poverty to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In a ruling on December 4, 2020, the court said it was illegal to imprison vagrants and recommended an alternative sentencing regime that will not violate the rights of such people.
Vagrants were drawn from scraps dealer’s association, ‘okada’ riders, traders, representatives from the landlords association, Zoomlion, people living with disabilities, drivers unions, and representatives from the traditional council to participate in the Awutu Senya programme.
Similar events were held in collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal District and the Ashaiman Municipality.
Project Duration
The project, aimed at addressing such laws, is being implemented by the crime prevention organization, Crime Check Foundation (CCF), in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
The project will run from May 2021 to May 2022 in 12 metropolitan assemblies in three regions – Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Central.
“We have begun with the mapping, and we are engaging with the various district assemblies in the selected regions and the leadership of vagrants”.
The project will sensitize 1200 vagrants about their rights and responsibilities to prevent any misunderstandings with the assemblies.
It involves education on civic duties to make vagrants patriotic and law-abiding citizens.
Monitoring and Evaluation
To monitor the progress and effectiveness of the project, a contact centre will be created after the sensitization to address the concerns of vagrants at the partnering organization, Crime Check Foundation.
According to Mr Kwarteng, the police will also be engaged to monitor the progress of the project.