Be circumspect in handling LGBTQ+ cases – IGP urges officers

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong Boanuh, has urged officers of the Ghana Police Service to enforce the laws in cases involving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) persons.

This comes in the wake of the closure of an office space for a group, LGBTQ+ Rights Ghana at Kwabenya in Accra on Wednesday, February 24.

The chiefs and people of the community had threatened to burn down the office space, claiming the country’s laws frown upon their act.

But addressing the issue at the inauguration of a conference hall for the Central Regional Police Command on Friday, February 26, IGP Oppong Boanuh advised Ghanaians not to take the law into their hands in fighting this group.

“The chiefs and people threatened that they will burn down the office, so our officers had to go down and speak to them that we don’t fight crime by committing another crime, so leave it to us."

“And within a few hours the appropriate action was taken."

“The whole point that I am making is that we should not take the laws into our own hands no matter what the circumstances."

“We should allow the security agencies to deal with whatever situation that comes.”

He explained that “currently there are some laws on this issue and we in the police will enforce the law as far as the limits of the law are concerned and therefore for as long as those laws remain in our statute books we are going to enforce it”.

“If the people of Ghana by some way decide that we are going to legitimise it and it is taken off our books, we are okay with it but until that is done we will ensure that the laws are complied with.”

He, however, urged “my officers to be circumspect in the handling of cases that involve these groups”.