CHRI donates to Accra and Kumasi Police Stations

General news for Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-12-22

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international NGO, has donated a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) to some police stations in Accra and Kumasi.

The benefited police stations in Accra are the Odorkor, Madina, Dansoman, Nima, La, Tesano and Sakumono Police Stations and the Kumasi Asokwa, Suame, Zongo Central and Tafo Police Stations, among others.

The donated items are bottles of mineral water, bags of water in envelopes, boxes and bags of washing powder, nasal masks, and T-roll packets.

Mina Mensah, Executive Director of CHRI, told Ghana News Agency that the donation is part of CHRI’s project entitled “Increasing Advocacy for Decriminalization of Misdemeanors Through COVID-19 Response Interventions” with the support of the Open Society Foundation for West Africa.

He said this would help police and prisoners to know that it is not just about the reforms, but that “we are also concerned about your health.”

Ms. Mensah said that overcrowding was a key problem, so they thought it would be good to put some reforms in place, where they support Police Stations and Prisons with PPES and detergents to ensure that those places are disinfected and clean.

He said CHRI works for the practical realization of human rights throughout the Commonwealth and also advocates for better respect, protection and promotion of international human rights standards.

He said CHIR has been advocating for the decriminalization of misdemeanors as part of its access to justice work.

He said the call by the CHRI and other stakeholders to decriminalize petty crime and also release inmates with petty crimes to decongest overcrowded prisons has become more important than ever with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms Esther Ahulu, Program Director, CHRI said that on Human Rights Day this year on the theme “Better Recover – Defend Human Rights” related to the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on the need to rebuild better by ensuring critical to recovery efforts from the global pandemic.

She the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic places inmates and staff at greater risk.

“People deprived of liberty face greater vulnerabilities as the spread of the virus can spread rapidly due to the high concentration of people in confined spaces and restricted access to hygiene and medical care in some contexts,” he added.

Ms Ahulu said that the State has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the prison environment is clean and safe to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

However, the state could not do everything, and therefore humanitarian efforts were badly needed to complement the government’s efforts.

DSP Kingsford Yaw Appiah, Odorkor District Police Commander, expressed his gratitude to CHRI management for their support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.