Hassan Kweitey: Meet The Ghanaian Police Officer Going Beyond His Duties To Help Acquitted Suspects

In the calmness of the evening about 4:30 pm, birds chirped happily announcing dusk at Ekumfi Essuehyia Junction in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region, which had the town’s police station in sight with quite a number of people gathered at the station and a police officer.

The attention of many was drawn to a truck carrying beverages and a saloon car which were being parked at the station, it was evident that an accident might have occurred.

Upon getting closer to the scene, the driver of the saloon car was demanding a sum of GH₵1000 from the truck driver for breaking his rear light and was not ready to listen to what the Policeman who was identified as Lance Corporal Hassan Kweitey had to say, the saloon driver was bent on taking money from the truck driver to repair his car’s rear light.

All attempts to calm the saloon driver down proved futile and with a ray of helplessness, the police officer returned to his desk in the station in a bid to return when the saloon car driver had calmed down but it looked like the saloon driver wasn’t ready to budge. As a result, the truck driver went into his truck and returned with GH₵300, he then offered the money to the saloon driver but the saloon car driver rejected the money outrightly, insisting that the truck driver added the remaining GH₵700.

According to the truck driver, the only money he had on him was the GH₵300 he had offered but the saloon car driver was still insisting on the amount he had demanded.

Before long the truck driver began to call friends and family to help him raise the remaining GH₵700, at the end of his calls, he was able to raise a total of GH₵600, adding it to the initial GH₵300 he offered earlier.

Again he offered a total of GH₵900 to the saloon car driver but he again refused.

Left with no other alternative the truck driver began to beg the saloon car driver to take the money but that action seemed to even anger the saloon car driver the most.

In order to solve the situation, the truck driver entered the police station to have a talk with Lance Corporal Hassan Kweitey and before long, the Police officer handed the truck driver a GH₵100 note, the truck driver then returned and released a GH₵1000 to the saloon car driver and that ended over an hour long chaos.

Now the question was, why did the Police give the truck driver money for the saloon car driver?

The Ghana Report took a keen interest to understand the situation better and approached the police officer for an interview which he declined but after persisting awhile, he agreed to grant an interview on the situation but was busy at the station at the time.

At almost 6 pm when Lance Corporal Hassan Kweitey was about to sign off from duty that day, he spared some minutes of his time despite his fatiguesness to grant the interview.

Speaking on his reasons for assisting the truck driver with his GH₵100 and whether or not he loaned it to him, the officer disclosed that, per the details he had and the damage that was caused, it was something that could have been talked over by both drivers but the saloon car driver was adamant and wouldn’t even listen to the Police.

“The situation was unbearable, as the saloon car driver was not ready to listen to me and moreover he was the victim of the incident; since the truck driver broke his rear light. It is the duty of the Police to enforce law and order but at a point, the saloon driver was becoming too difficult, that’s why I left them, but still watching from a distance I could see that the truck driver was putting in the effort to make amends but the man still didn’t want to understand, so when the truck driver came over and explained the extent he had gone to get money for the saloon car driver and he had rejected, I only thought it wise to help him with the GH₵100 so there can be calm because the noise was overwhelming,” he replied

“To a large extent, many might consider what I did as not right, but I have other responsibilities and moreover as the officer on duty, there are suspects in the cell, I have to attend to but in the long run peace prevailed” he added

On the contrary, the number of the truck driver was written boldly on the truck and in order not to miss any detail on the incident, a reporter with The Ghana Report called the number which was answered by a man who identified himself as Isaac, the driver of the truck that was at the Essuehyia Police Station on the said day.

The driver of the truck was engaged in a quick conversation with The Ghana Report, at which he disclosed that he didn’t know Officer Kweitey from Adam but was also taken aback by his kind gesture.

“I was surprised when the police officer gave me the GH₵100, I only went to explain my side of the story to him and was expecting him to get involved, so I can at least go and deliver my goods, and with the money I’m paid with, I will come and add up the remaining GH₵100,” he said

He further confirmed that indeed the officer gave him the GH₵100 for free.

In the midst of all these, some women of Essuehyia could be heard in their smaller groups discussing how impactful the officer has been in their community.

The Ghana Report took a keen interest in the stories concerning the officer and information gathered after some interviews indicated that Lance Corporal Hassan Kweitey helps acquitted suspects become better in society by putting them in trades and helping them acquire some career skills.

The Ghana Report spoke with a few acquitted suspects who have enjoyed the benevolence of Mr Kweitey.

Interviews with acquitted suspects

25-year-old Fiifi (not his real name) was arrested early this year for alleged stealing but upon investigation was found not guilty. Due to how ruddy he was in the town with his unkept dreadlocks, he was mistaken to be a suspect and therefore arrested.

” I didn’t rob anybody but I was arrested after investigations, I was released, but when I was in the police cells nobody visited me because I usually left home for about a week without the knowledge of my family and was on my own for the period of my absence, so I guess my family members were not worried, but whilst I was in the cells, I was very scared because it was my first time being arrested and moreover I didn’t know anything about the crime I was being charged with,” he said

” whilst I was in the cells, Officer Kweitey often checked up on me and bought me food and even fruits whenever he was buying fruits for himself, I wasn’t the only person he was being nice to,” he added

” On the day I was released, Officer Kweitey asked me to trim my dreadlocks because it was part of the factors that made people point out me as a suspect, he immediately gave me money and asked a community police officer to accompany me to the barbering salon and get my hair trimmed, subsequently he asked me of what I wanted to do to earn a living and I immediately replied that I wanted to learn to be a mechanic, in less than a week he made arrangements for me to learn from a local fitting shop and that’s what I’m doing now, God bless “Aban” for me,” he said.

23-year-old Kwamena was arrested for engaging in a fierce fight with a friend and after facing the consequence of his actions by the law, he has also been put into skill training (tailoring) by Officer Kweitey. He also expressed his gratitude to the officer.

” I was pretty aimless before my arrest for fighting but after I was acquitted, Officer Kweitey asked me what do I need to be of an impact on society, so I told him that since I couldn’t further my education after Junior High School, I would love to learn the skill of tailoring and just like magic, Mr. Kweitey made it happen, currently I’m in my fourth month of the training and I don’t take this opportunity for granted, Thank you, officer,” he said

Also, 9-year-old Kobla (not his real name) was found roaming the streets of Essuehyia late last year, after roaming several days in the town the indigenes realized the boy was not from the town, so they took him to the Essuehyia Police Station, it was there that the boy narrated that he was actually from the Volta Region but his uncle came for him from the village and lied to his parents that he was bringing him to study in Accra but rather took him to the Central Region to work at sea (fishing).

According to the boy, he hardly got a three square meal, he was always at sea fishing and often beaten at the least mistake.

He added that, since he couldn’t bear the pain anymore he decided to find his way back to the Volta Region hence the reason he was roaming in town.

He stated that at the time he was found it had been four days since he fled his uncle’s house.

Officer Kweitey and his team traced the family and transported the boy back to his family and eventually traced the boy’s uncle and arrested him as well.

To mention but a few, Officer Kweitey is known for his charitable deeds toward the most unfortunate members of society, the local pineapple seller at Essuehyia popularly known as Yaa Bode, and other well-known personalities in the town eulogized the officer for his benevolence all geared toward improving on the lot of people in the town, especially its hardworking youth.