Criminologist and University of Cambridge professor, Justice Tankebe, has expressed concern over a significant decline in the conviction rate of police officers facing disciplinary proceedings in Ghana.

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He noted that the rate dropped by 10 percentage points, from 17% in 2020 to just 7% in both 2021 and 2022.

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Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, March 17, Prof. Tankebe stressed the need for closer examination of the factors behind this decline.

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“Another area that we have to consider is police professionalism, but it is difficult to get the data. But one data we can consider will be complaints against police officers, and that becomes interesting,” he said.

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He explained that analyzing complaints lodged against officers could offer insight into the state of police accountability. “You will expect that those who have issues with the police will file complaints, and we can see what proportion of those complaints are upheld and how many officers are convicted when they undergo disciplinary proceedings,” he noted.

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Citing available records, Prof. Tankebe pointed out the sharp drop in convictions. “Unfortunately, the data that we have shows that in 2020, the proportion of officers who were convicted after disciplinary hearings was 17%, and that dropped to 7% in 2021 and 2022. So, there is an interesting discussion to be had as to why the sharp drop,” he observed.

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His comments come amid ongoing discussions about police professionalism and accountability. With the recent appointment of COP George Alex Mensah Yohuno as Inspector General of Police, expectations are high for reforms aimed at improving public trust and strengthening internal disciplinary processes within the Ghana Police Service.

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