Police recruitment fraud; three persons arrested
Three members of a police recruitment syndicate were arrested at the Police Hospital where they had met to supervise the medical screening of 105 of their prospective recruits between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturday.
The three Inspector Senyo Ameyaw, a laboratory technician at the Police Hospital; Faustina Kuma, a civilian employee at the Police Headquarters, and Sylvanus Kuma, a National Security Secretariat operative – were arrested at the Police Hospital where the 105 prospective recruits bad gathered to undergo the medical screening as part of the recruitment process.
The prospective recruits were also arrested to assist in investigations.
So far, GH¢81,275 has been retrieved from Faustina and Inspector Ameyaw. A number of laboratory test request forms for “Special Examination” have also been retrieved.
The operation was ordered by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, after he had received information that prospective recruits were being charged between GH¢1,000 and GH¢2,500.
All the suspects are currently in various police cells pending further investigations.
The Commissioner of Police (COP) in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic that the IGP received information from sections of the public that a syndicate was recruiting young men and women into the Police Service for a fee of between GH¢1000 and GH¢2,500.
He said the .information also indicated that the prospective recruits were often taken to the Police Hospital at midnight for medical screening.
Mr Agblor said the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) was notified to conduct investigations to establish the existence of the syndicate and help apprehend the suspects.
According to him, after several weeks of investigations, the PIPS had a tip off that the next batch of recruits was due for medical screening at the Police Hospital at midnight on Saturday, June 16, 2012.
He said with the help of other policemen, the 105 prospective recruits who turned up for the medical examination and the three main suspects were rounded up about 2:30 a.m.
Mr Agblor wondered how any medical examination would be conducted under the cover of darkness if, indeed, it was a genuine exercise.
He said investigations were still ongoing and gave an assurance that anyone found culpable would be dealt with according to the laws of the land.
Source: Daily Graphic