By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday, 31 May 2007
THE Minister of National Security, Mr Francis Poku, has said the spate of instant/mob justice is an indication of lack of confidence in the country’s legal system.
"Public disappointment in the legal system as well as the perception of corruption and delays in trying suspects are some of the causes of mob or instant justice".
Mr Poku was speaking at a consultative forum on Instant/Mob Justice and National Security in Accra yesterday.
The forum which was jointly organised by the Ministries of the Interior and National Security, supported by the Legal Resources Centre, was attended by the top hierarchy of all the security agencies including the Inspector-General of Police, Mr P.K. Acheampong.
At the end of the forum, participants are expected to come out with a blue print that will be used to curb mob violence or instant justice in the country.
Commenting further, Mr Poku said, "Despite the condemnation, some people continue to indulge in instant/mob justice, and just last two days, I received a report of a suspected armed robber being lynched at Madina in Accra."
He said people had employed landguards to protect their land and other property because there was perceived lack of justice and added that "there is the case of gangsterism in the country especially. in our universities but these cannot be allowed."
Mr Poku said some officials in the security agencies especially, policemen "are administering their own kind of justice by delving into non-criminal cases."
"We should not take the law into our own hands by assuming that the laws of the country do not work."
He said the huge effort being made to ensure that rule of law prevailed in the country will be meaningless, "if we do not take steps to make the public know that the legal system is working."
"There is a steady drive of the commitment of people towards the rule of law and there is also a constant desire to reform institutions and organisations. We therefore have to demonstrate our commitment towards the rule of law," he said.
Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Deputy Minister of the Interior, said mob/instant just ice posed a threat to the current democratic dispensation, adding "the government will not condone this sort of action again."
He said once the constitution guaranteed the rights of every citizen including suspected criminals, the public should always exercise restraint and allow the law to take its own course.
The Deputy Minister said government was still taking steps to resource the security agencies to effectively combat crime and help check mob action.
Dr Ken Attafuah, a human rights activist, who gave an overview of the mob/instant justice situation said, "it is always the case that armed robbers and perpetrators of crime will not show mercy on victims.
However, he said, "we cannot live in a jungle, we can only make the law work so that perhaps rights will be respected."
He said the high rise in mob justice reflected the pervasive lawlessness in and lack of confidence in the justice system, adding that most of us are also impatient to see suspects go through the full rigours of the law."
Dr K.K. Manfo, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said the Police Administration had made the issue of mob justice a priority and was checking policemen who go beyond their mandate in law enforcement.
Justice Georgina Wood, the President’s nominee for the position of Chief Justice who chaired the forum said "mob justice is an indictment on the whole society and we should attack this problem head on and not apportion blame."
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