Police on operation end food boycott

Page 64: Daily Graphic, December 10, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
POLICEMEN on peacekeeping duties in Bawku who boycotted meals at the military canteen in Bawku have now begun patronising the canteen, explaining that their initial stance was due to misinformation.
Sources within the Police Administration told the Daily Graphic that following a directive from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to the affected policemen, the policemen explained that their initial information had been that the instructions for them to patronise the military canteen, instead of the usual cash ration, had been a unilateral one issued by the Bawku Divisional Police Commander.
However, after the message had been reinforced and the policemen had been told that it was a Police Administration decision, they started trooping to the canteen to patronise the food.
The IGP, Mr Paul Quaye, also told the Daily Graphic yesterday that he had received confirmation that more than 99 per cent of the policemen had started patronising the military canteen.
When contacted, the Upper East Regional Police Commander, ACP Bright Oduro, said the decision to provide food at the military canteen was arrived at when it became difficult to mobilise the policemen, especially during certain periods of the curfew hours.
He said while most people were expected to be indoors due to the curfew, the policemen often gave the excuse that they were looking for food when they knew that “nobody would be out there cooking”.
ACP Oduro said the food ration was a better approach than giving the policemen cash ration.
The IGP last Tuesday issued a strong warning to the policemen who had refused to patronise the military canteen, saying that they would be dealt with according to the Ghana Police Service Disciplinary Code.
Mr Quaye noted that it was most unfortunate for any police officer to refuse to patronise the food at the military canteen after a high-powered meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to address concerns of policemen on peace duties in Bawku took the decision.
He, therefore, asked the policemen to rethink their position if they thought that the money being paid as their canteen fees would be given to them.