The Central Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare to as a matter of urgency review his outfit’s recent Public Relations policy, which has revoked the decentralization of the police’s public relations unit in the regions.
“This new development has kept the Media and the general public in the dark regarding crimes and other happenings
in the regions and what the police is doing to protect the citizenry.
For some time now, media personnel in the regions have been struggling to access information from the police
whenever there is the need to do so.
The media thrive on credible information and any attempt by public institutions and individuals to prevent the
timely verification of information needs to be checked”, the GJA lamented.
A press statement signed by the Central Regional Secretary of the GJA, Kingsley Nana Buadu maintained that the move by the IGP to centralize all communication in Accra is “an attempt to prevent the media from confirming or seeking details of information and such an action creates room for speculation and misinformation”.
The call by the GJA follows a murder case involving a lady in her early 20s who was allegedly murdered by a suspected Chief and Pastor in Mankessim in the Central Region of Ghana.
All attempts by the media in the Central Region to authenticate the case from the police failed.
” The Regional branch of the Association is therefore calling on the IGP to review this new directive to allow the
regional police to interact and communicate freely with the media.
This the association believes would not only serve the interest of the police but would continue to foster stronger relationship between the police and the media”, the GJA reiterated.
Find below the full statement….
Source: Gnewsprime.com/GEORGINA APPIAH, 2022.
