The Central Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo- Dampare, to review the new centralised communication directive between the police and the media.
It said the directive was inimical to the free flow of information from the police to the media, which had kept the media and the public in the dark with regard to crimes and related activities.
Hitherto, there was a long standing mutual relations between the media and the Ghana Police Service’s Regional Public Relations Office, where the media could freely seek clarification on issues bothering on crime.
However the new directive indicates that every information must come from the national headquarters, which was hampering information flow.
The Association, in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Mr Kingsley Nana Buadu, the Regional Secretary, said the directive was inimical to accessing information from the police when necessary.
“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,” it said.
“An attempt to prevent the media from confirming or seeking details regarding a story creates room for speculation and misinformation, which would rather create fear in the society.”
It recalled that on Monday, September 20, 2022, the police, upon investigations, exhumed the body of one Georgina Asor Botchwey, who went missing for about two weeks at Mankessim in the Central Region.
However, after more than 24 hours of the incident, the media had not been able to authenticate the facts of the story from the Police, the statement said.
“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.”
The Association expressed the belief that reviewing the directive would not only serve the interest of the police but foster stronger relations between the police and the media.
