Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr George Akuffo Dampare said it was a slip of tongue on the part of the Director-General of Operations of the Ghana Police Service to have described him as the worst ever in his 31 years of active service.
For IGP Dr Akuffo Dampare, George Alex Mensah, the Commissioner of Police (COP) currently on leave pending retirement from the Service, wanted to describe him as the “best” but mixed them up.
“Honourable Chair, I think probably my brother wanted to say I am the best and he mixed it because the records are there for everybody to see,” he emphasised.
Dr Akuffo Dampare was answering questions from the ad hoc committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament to look into a viral audio recording with voices of some political and police officers, purportedly planning to oust him before the 2024 elections.
Allegations were made against him by the senior officers whose voices are captured on the tape.
COP Alex Mensah had described the IGP as the worst he has served under.
“What I said [Thursday, August 31] if you give me the chance [Friday, September 1], I will say so again, he is not managing the Service well,” COP Alex Mensah said on Friday, September 1.
“For me, for the 31 years that I have been in the Service, I can tell you he is the worst IGP we have had.”
This assertion was put to Dr Dampare by the Vice Chairman of the seven-member committee, James Agalga, who is also the Member of Parliament for Builsa North Constituency.
“The beauty of mankind is everybody has an opinion and he can express it in any form or shape and that cannot change the fact.”
For him, the description by COP Alex Mensah is “unfounded” and “unfortunate”.
“I think the best thing he should have done if he had nothing to say was to keep quiet.”
Dr Dampare said if he is the worst IGP, then COP Alex Mensah is also worst because he has been a part of the Police Management Board (POMAB).
“So, even granted that I am the worst then all of us collectively are the worst including my brother who was serving in that capacity as member of the team that I lead. So I think it was a slip of tongue on his part.”