By Dominic Antwi Agyei, GNA
Ahodwo (Ash), May 30, GNA – Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Regina Mintah, a Senior Crime Officer at the Kumasi Central Police Command, has cautioned Ghanaians to desist from interfering in police investigations as it delays the process, thereby hampering justice delivery and effective prosecution.
At a public durbar to educate the people on Ghana’s Case Tracking System (CTS) and Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism at Ahodwo in Kumasi, she said the CTS was an integrated software that tracked criminal cases in the justice delivery system from inception to disposition.
It was launched by the Government in 2018 with support from of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide a common platform for easy tracking of cases and communication between the justice institutions.
The institutions included the Office of the Attorney General, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Legal Aid Commission, Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Judicial Service.
As part of the awareness creation, the USAID is supporting three Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Legal Resources Centre and Crime Check Foundation to implement a project, dubbed: “USAID Justice Sector Support Activity.”
It also seeks to strengthen the CTS through citizen engagement, empowerment and the voice to demand accountability and improve services.
The public education was, therefore, organised by the Muslim Family Counselling Services, a local implementing partner, to create awareness about the CTS to promote accountability and transparency in the justice delivery system.
DSP Mintah asked the public not to pay any fee when seeking bail for a suspect in police custody.
He said it was illegal to pay any amount to any police officer and urged the public to resist such attempts and report such incidents for prompt action.
Mr Tijani Mahmoud, the Programmes Manager of Muslim Family Counselling Services, said the Case Tracking System allowed for easy and quick sharing of information on cases among justice institutions.
Delays in serving justice due to several challenges such as missing case dockets, slow processing of documentation, and overlooking of court dates for remand prisoners are some of the issues the System seeks to address.
He said it was important to create awareness about all those services to provide options for the public, especially the poor and vulnerable, to seek justice whenever their rights were abused.
GNA
