General News of Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-03-23Feeding of inmates: #FixTheCountry, 2 others 'chase' police for official records
Members of the #FixTheCountry group during a protest last year
#FixTheCountry demands information on Prison inmates
Group files RTI request on Ghana Police Service
Donation of group convener to Ashaiman Police Station rejected
#FixTheCountry Movement and two other NGOs have filed a Right To Information, RTI, request at the Ghana Police Service.
The two other groups are Democracy Hub and Democratic Accountability Lab.
Their request is hinged on demands for official information with respect to the
Read full article.feeding and overall treatment of persons held in Police custody.
A press release posted on the Facebook timeline of Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a recently released convenor of the group, itemized nine questions to the Police Service.
They included among others, the budget for feeding persons in Police custody for 2000 and 2001, and general issues around feeding and health care needs and records of inmates.
The group are also seeking answers to Standard Operating Procedures, SoPs, of the Service as relates to donations by private citizens and organizations to inmates in Police custody.
They noted that the Police have 14 days to respond to the request.
Barker-Vormawor, currently facing treason felony charges or threatening a coup via Facebook, recently tried unsuccessfully to donate to his former cellmates at the Ashaiman Police Station.
He insists that inmates were not fed by the state and depended on the benevolence of the public and relatives but Police had been politically pressured to refuse his donation. Police said he had been warned against proceeding with the donation which they said was meant to cause ‘unnecessary drama.’
In his most recent reaction to the Police, Barker-Vormawor stated: "In all this, there is one thing I have been disappointed by. That is the inability of the Ghana Police Service to even admit that they don’t feed inmates because they receive no money to feed them.
"We can’t even admit that to save lives? The question of whether we starve detainees has nothing to do with me. Even that we can’t admit it so we save lives?"
Find below the full press release
Press Release
Together with two NGOs (Democracy Hub) and (Democratic Accountability Lab) Ghfixthecountry jointly filed a Right to Information Request at the Ghana Police Service to seek the following:
1a. What was the budget for feeding persons in Police custody for 2020, 2021.
1b. How many people were held for more than 24 hours in Police custody in Ghana for the year 2020, and 2021 respectively.
2. How much was approved for feeding persons in police custody for 2022.
3: How many persons were held by the Police for more than 24hours at the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022.
4. In connection with number 3, How much did the Ghana Police Service spend on feeding the individuals in the custody of the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022.
5. What was the daily menu provided the individuals in the custody of the Ashaiman Police Station between February 11-March 17 2022.
5a. How many times are persons in police custody fed daily?
6. What was the budget for first aid medication procured for 2020; 2021 and 2022; for persons in police custody.
6a. How many people in Police custody fell sick and required hospitalization between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.
6b. How many people in Police custody fell sick and required a hospital visit, without hospitalization between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.
6c. How many people fell sick; and were given medication without requiring a hospital visit between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.
7. How many persons have died while in Police custody between January 2020 and 21st March 2022.
8. Furnish us with a copy of the Standard Operation Procedures of the Ghana Police Service regarding donations by private citizens and private organizations to persons in police custody.
8a. Furnish us with a copy of the Standard Operation Procedures of the Ghana Police Service regarding donations by private citizens to the Ghana Police Service as an institution.
9. Furnish us with a copy of the Ghana Police Service Instructions.
The Police have 14 days to respond.
