Samuel Nana Appiah, a Security Analyst, has asserted that the authority of Dr. George Akuffo Dampare as Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has been significantly affected by the appointment of Commissioner of Police (COP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno as the new Deputy IGP in charge of Operations.
President Akufo-Addo announced COP Yohuno’s appointment following the advice of the Police Council at its meeting on July 17, 2024. COP Yohuno, a distinguished law enforcement officer with over three decades of experience, has held several crucial roles within the Ghana Police Service.
In an interview on the Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV, Samuel Nana Appiah expressed his view that COP Yohuno’s new role effectively places him in charge of the operational aspects of the Police Service, thereby diminishing IGP Dampare’s operational influence.
“Let me be blunt here, IGP Dampare’s authority or power within the Police Service has been neutralized with President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of COP Tetteh Yehuno as Deputy IGP in charge of Operations. I say so because the primary duty of the Police Service is operations. So if the operations bit of the police service work has been assigned to your deputy, then more or less, the IGP position has been handed to him.
“Administratively, the IGP has the authority, but with the command structure, almost all of them are coming directly under the supervision of the Deputy IGP in charge of operations, including the Director-General CID, Director-General Welfare, Director-General I.T. Almost all of the rest will have to report to the Deputy IGP in charge of Operations.”
Appiah described COP Yohuno as one of Ghana’s finest police officers, highlighting his professionalism, distinguished career, and strong dedication to duty. He emphasized that COP Yohuno’s capabilities make him worthy of even serving as the substantive IGP.
“COP Yohuno has over 30 years of experience as a police officer. He has been a very professional, distinguished officer with an impeccable police record. If you are looking for one of the finest gentlemen in the Police Service, he’s one of them. He genuinely acknowledges that Ghanaians have given him the opportunity to serve the country, and he does his work with humility and diligence. He has been fantastic, and I think this appointment is long overdue. It should have come years back to enable him to do more for the Police Service and Ghana. He’s an astute police officer, and I believe he even qualifies to be the substantive IGP.”