The Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Command has appealed to the media to desist from publishing stories that have the tendency of pitching the police against institutions responsible for the administration of justice, since the effect of any such conflict would not benefit the society. The Regional Police Command said this in a statement in reaction to a ‘Daily Graphic’ publication of Friday, April 11th, 2008 by Akwasi Ampratwum- Mensah captioned “Court To Hear Atronie Murder Case”. The statement was signed by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Commander, DCOP James Oppong Boanuh and copied to the media.
In the said publication, the writer stated that “the police expressed their dissatisfaction with the advice to discharge the chief and queen of Atronie and had expressed their desire to meet with officials of the law office to commit the two for trial on a charge of abetment, since they were alleged to be privy to the murder”. The police command said nothing can be farther from the truth than this and placed on record that it has never commented whether privately or openly on the Attorney General’s advice. “Neither have we disagreed with the said advice. Indeed it is in pursuance of the advice that the bill of indictment was prepared for the eleven persons to be arraigned before the High Court for trial”, the police said.
The statement further said “no one from this command has spoken to Mr. Kwasi Ampratwum-Mensah. We do not know who expressed the desire to meet with officials of the law office to commit the two for trial on a charge of abetment…..indeed if any police office is Mr. Ampratwum’s source, that officer does not and can not speak for the regional police command”. The police command added “that every police officer knows that the Attorney-General has the exclusive right to determine whom to prosecute, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Therefore in a situation where in the opinion of the Attorney General, there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute, we will never challenge the Attorney- Generla’s decision”. The statement expressed gratitude to the media for their support and hoped that the police could count on their cooperation in the times ahead.