Security consultant and fraud prevention expert, Richard Kumadoe, has urged the public and media practitioners to exercise restraint during law enforcement operations, while also calling on officers to handle provocations professionally to avoid confrontations.
According to him, both civilians and security personnel have roles to play in ensuring that law enforcement activities are carried out without unnecessary tension or violence.
Speaking on TV3 and monitored by NewsDesksGH on January 6, Richard Kumadoe said he has consistently held the view that civilians should avoid interfering with security operations, as officers must also act within the bounds of the law.
“I have always been of the view that let’s not interfere when it comes to law enforcement operations,” he said.
He however stressed that law enforcement officers must also be conversant with established rules and remain mindful of their conduct when faced with provocation.
“There’s something in law enforcement called operational security and law enforcement officers are always mindful of operational security which creates a manner of problems for them,” he explained.
According to Mr. Kumadoe, the growing culture of recording security operations has heightened anxiety among officers, who often fear that sensitive procedures may be compromised.
“When they see people videoing them, which is a new thing coming to Ghana, they’re always anxious whether operational security is going to be breached,” he said.
He argued that improved public education and training could reduce such incidents, calling for patience and clear communication between security personnel and journalists or civilians.
“What we need to be doing is public education, awareness creation which should be part of the training. Being a bit more patient with one another, communicating in a manner that ensures that we’re doing the right thing at the right time, will help us,”
“I have been to places where law enforcement officers spoke to journalists or civilians to say that, this is law enforcement operations, and some of these people walked away, they did not interfere.”
He clarified that in the recent incident involving the alleged assault of a journalist by fire service personnel, the journalist was not at fault, but poor communication and heightened emotions escalated the situation.
“The journalist wasn’t wrong but because they did not explain to the journalist, and because they were already angry because the journalist got there and because they were doing something that they think, they know is wrong, that is why they took their anger unto the journalist,” he said.
Mr. Kumadoe stressed that violence was unnecessary, especially against journalists who play a critical role during emergencies.
“They will need to speak to the journalist in a manner that does not lead to altercation and beating up one another. It wasn’t necessary at all because we need the journalist in the front line,” he added.
The comments follow public outrage after Class Media Group journalist, Samuel Addo, was allegedly assaulted by some Ghana National Fire Service personnel while covering a chaotic scene during a fire outbreak at the Kasoa New Market on January 5.
The Ghana National Fire Service has since stated that the incident is under police investigation and that it has constituted an internal committee to establish the facts surrounding the altercation.
