‘Consult police command on sensitive issues’

Story: Nana Konadu March 28
Agyeman, Koforidua
THE Eastern Regional Police Command has appealed to media practitioners to always consult it on sensitive issues of public interest to enable them to disseminate accurate and truthful information.
  That, it said, would not only help the public to know the truth, but would also strengthen the already-existing cordial relationship between the police and the media in the region.
A press release signed by the Eastern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Felix Asare-Darko, said "we wish to appeal to the media to consult the command on sensitive issues, especially those that warrant the writing of editorials to enable them to disseminate the truth."
The statement was in reaction to an editorial by the Daily Guide on February 4, this year, which condemned the Eastern Regional Police Command for its inability to pay the hospital expenses of a victim, John Larbi, who was shot while in police custody at Bunso.
We wish to state further that the paper was not fair to the command and the Eastern Regional Police Commander because as a competent newspaper like the Daily Guide, the editorial board could have at least contacted the command for its side of the story before writing an important piece like an editorial on the issue,” it said.
According to the statement, the Police Command, in a reaction to the Daily Guide's publication on February 14, 2008, organised a news conference on the issue to explain matters pertaining to the incident to the media.
As a sequel to the news conference, the statement said, a Joy FM reporter went to the Police Headquarters at Koforidua to inquire whether the Regional Police Command was prepared to pay a bill of GH¢400 being the hospital expenses of John Larbi.
In a very relaxed mood, the Regional Commander asked the reporter “if you go to hospital who pays your bills" to which the reporter replied “one’s self.” The Commander then asked again that so if the police sent somebody to the hospital who pays? The reporter again replied, it is the police which should pay?"
The statement said while the police command was waiting for the hospital administration to inform the police on plans to discharge the victim and also submit his bills for payment, it found it improper for any person to present a bill of GH¢400 to the police for payment.
It noted that when the police finally collected the bill from the hospital administration, the amount to be paid was GH¢129.60, which was paid immediately and not GH¢400, which was quoted by the Joy FM reporter.
According to the statement, before the unfortunate recording by the Joy FM reporter, which was aired by the station, the Regional Police Commander, his deputy and the Regional Crime Officer had visited Larbi at the Koforidua Regional Hospital to sympathise with him.
It added that the team also assured him of the readiness of the police to pay his hospital bills.
"It was therefore a surprise to the police command when an individual (Joy FM reporter) presented the bill to the police for payment", the statement said
The release pointed out that it was the police which paid the hospital bills of the victim and also conveyed him to his house at Bunso, a distance of over 60 kilometres, after he had been discharged.