Top Police Official Interdicted Over Police Recruitment Scam in Ghana

The Police administration in Ghana has interdicted the Director-General in charge of Police Human Resource, Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Patrick Timbilla over recruitment scam into the Police service. Last week, hundreds of Ghanaian youth aged between 20-30 trooped to the various Police training centers for enlistment into the police service but later found out it was a scam they have falling into. Some individuals have been arrested over the scam and the top police official is the latest to have been interdicted. DCOP Timbilla was put under house arrest on Friday night till early Sunday morning for involving in the scam. On Sunday evening, Director-General of the Police Public Affairs service, Ampah-Benin said Mr. Timbilla can now move about freely as an ordinary Ghanaian citizen but is still under formal investigations.

“He is not under house arrest anymore, he can move from his house. He can go anywhere now but when the investigative team needs him, they can call him, he is on interdiction, he cannot work as a Police Officer until the issue is finally resolved”, he said. He further added that Mr. Timbilla is cooperating with the investigative team to unravel the truth of the matter to keep the image of the service. DCOP Timbilla’s interdiction over the issue has shocked many Ghanaians due to the reputation he has built for himself over the years in the police service. The Ghana Police Service is the main law enforcement agency in Ghana. The service is under the control of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior and employs over 30,000 officers across its 651 stations. Lots of similar scams have been reported in the past but this is the first time a top official in the service has been officially interdicted over such issues.

An afrobarometer survey last year revealed that the Police Service is the most perceived corrupt public institution in Ghana. The result said as high as 89% of the respondents who participated in the survey said the police service is the most corrupt institution. Similar surveys have in the past fingered the Ghana police service as the most corrupt public institution but the service has constantly denied such reports.