The Wenchi Divisional Police Station in the Bono East Region on Sunday refused safety custody of a missing child.
Two female officers at the police station, one in mufti and the other in police uniform said they could not take safe custody of the child because there was no place to keep him and it was not their responsibility to do so.
"Why didn't you leave him at Wa but bringing him here? If we pick him now where are keeping him?
You can either send him to Kumasi or leave him with the conductors here. We cannot take him", one of the officers said and walked away into her office.
The child, about 8 years old, mentioned his name as Kofi, from Hamile Zongo.
He was spotted on a Metro Mass Bus with boarding number VO63 en route from Hamile in the Upper West Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
When interrogated where he was traveling to he said he was going to Tuna in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savanna Region.
However, he did not alight at Tuna until the bus reached Wenchi where he again told the bus conductor that he was going to Sampa.
The managers and passengers onboard the bus sensed the safety of the child was at risk.
That prompted the managers of the bus to present the child to the police at Wenchi, but the officers on duty at about 1510 HRS on Sunday, August 11, 2024, said they did not have any responsibility for the child.
All pleas from the passengers on the bus for the police to take safe custody of the child for the bus to pick him up to Hamile where he boarded fell on death ears.
That was contrary to the function of the police of "Protection of life and property" and it's vision of seeking "to become a world-class Police Service capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective, and peaceful services up to the standards of international best practice."
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