Barker-Vormavor intended to create 'unnecessary drama' with donation to inmates - Police

Police prevented Barker-Vormawor from donating to suspects at Ashiaman Police Station

The police stated that the donate was against Police Standard Operating Procedure

Barker-Vormawor wanted to donate to the suspects at Ashiaman Police Station

The Tema Regional Police Command has stated that Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the #FixTheCountry convener, wanted to create 'unnecessary drama' with his intention to donate food items to suspects in custody at

Read full article.the Ashiaman Police Station.

According to the Police, feeding suspects in custody is hardly an enterprise Barker-Vormawor can sustain for more than a day.

In a statement published on the official social media pages of the Ghana Police Service, explaining why Barker-Vormawor was prevented from making the intended donation, Police said it “was against Police Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) on the feeding of persons in the police custody," and that he had been asked to refrain.

“In spite of the notice given him, he showed up at the Police state in the company of some other individuals and a musical band with the obvious intention still of making the donation and creating unnecessary drama.

"Police, therefore had no choice but to refuse him the opportunity. After loitering at the station for a while amidst noise making and inconveniencing other persons at the station, he and his group finally dispersed," the statement explained further.

“We are left to wonder what the motives of Mr. Vormawor actually are, since the feeding of suspects in custody is hardly an enterprise he can sustain even for more than a day,” the statement signed by Head of Public Affairs in Tema, Chief Inspector Stella Dede Dzakpasu, said.

According to the Police, feeding of persons in Police custody is the responsibility of the government and it is a responsibility that is discharged according to law and laid down procedures.

“However, due to our cultural sensitivities and arrangements, families of suspects are usually allowed to provide food to them from time to time,” it added.

The Police further noted that it neither accepted part of the donation nor later called the convener to come back for sachet water bags earlier donated as claimed by Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

The Police Command, therefore, urged the public “to disregard his antics which are obviously calculated just to court public attention.”

For the Police, its personnel cannot be complacent in protecting suspects because they “are held accountable for whatever happens to persons in our custody.”

“In line with our processes, food items brought to suspects in custody are subjected to stringent safety and security protocols before being accepted and given for consumption,” the Police said.

Oliver Barker-Vormawor, at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, accused an individual "at the top" of instructing the police to deny him the opportunity to donate.

“Now the Police have informed us, informally, because we have not yet made the presentation, that if we make the presentation they won’t give it out. All we know is that visiting hours are between 4 to 6 pm, so we are waiting till 4 to 6 pm so that if we present it and they refuse it, then we go home,” he said.