Two days ago I went to an IUU (Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported) fishing conference in Takoradi. The people in attendance were stakeholders (fishermen and fish processors) and policemen, mainly from the Marine Police Unit, who are responsible for law enforcement related to the Fisheries Act of 2002 and the Fisheries Regulations Act of 2011.
While we are in the lobby of the building getting snacks for the "coffee break," the director of Hen Mpoano is speaking to some of the police men, and he waves me over. He says he has been discussing what happened to me, and he feels like the local police haven't been doing enough. I describe the event to the police men. Then the programs coordinator, my supervisor, is brought over, and he explains what we told the police on the day of the attack. The Marine Police tell me not to worry, that they will see how they can help get the man caught and arrested.
Low and behold, the next day I am called into the directors office, and he's there with the Marine Policemen! They ask me how to get to the house of the man who assaulted me, and I say I'm not sure how to describe it but I can take them. They are adamant that I don't go with them, and, in fact, this fact finding mission is to be a stealth one. The police had come in every day clothing as opposed to their uniforms of the day before, and the director told me that he'd have to change out of his "USAID" shirt because it would give him away as being from Hen Mpoano. Thus my presence would certainly ruin the subterfuge. Selfishly this is excellent news to me, because it's a sweltering hot day and the idea of tramping around in the ghetto (the word the director of Hen Mpoano used to describe the area) where my assailant lived sounds terrible. I feel bad that three police people, as well as two members of Hen Mpoano (director & my host) have to go on this venture on my behalf, but they are determined to help me and I'm unable to dissuade them (plus it seems rude to push too hard since the police have obviously come at the request of my director, and on their day off, too). Further, they seem very upset at what happened to me and earnestly want to help me get justice. So I feel like I cannot protest much. Instead, I give them the best directions I can, and my director pulls up Google Maps to see if I can show him where the assault took place. Below is that map
The red circled area is where the man lives, under the palm trees. The blue arrow is how I walk to lunch. The joint where I got my lunch is off the map, in the direction where the arrow is pointing.
I then describe some of what the house looks like, including the stream of sewage and the very narrow foot bridge that faces the house.
I am asked if I could identify the man and I say that I likely could not, although maybe I could. I explain that I did not get a very good look at him because I was thrashed about during the assault. I say I wish I could identify him but I don't want to say I can when I have my doubts about my ability to do so.
Then I am dismissed, and off the police go!
A few hours later, I see them as I'm walking (on the path of the blue line above) to pick up my lunch. My host who is with them tells me he will tell me what happened when I get back to the office.
When I get back, I talk to the police and say I realized later that I could describe the man some, that he is about my height. They say "oh don't worry, that's what we were told, yes he is about your height, we got a lot of information on him, don't worry." Besides being told not to worry, that the local police are not doing enough and that these police will surely bring the man to justice, I'm not told much of anything about what happened during this multi-hour venture into the "ghetto" by where I work. I get the sense that they just want me to be assured that they are doing everything in their power to arrest this man, and don't really want to give me a blow-by-blow of what happened, so I don't press the issue.
So no arrests have yet been made but I now have my own personal police detail working on the case for me, because they work closely with Hen Mpoano and do not want any foreigners who come here to have such a terrible experience. I'm very grateful. I'm sure there are some shifty or untrustworthy police in the marine unit (because a percentage of humans are those things and I generally assume they are evenly distributed to all kinds of professions - so that's not a comment on police, but more my assessment of human nature in general), but none of the ones I have met have been anything but wonderful.
Here's to good police and to justice hopefully being served!
No comments:
Post a Comment