William Jalula, a journalist and media manager, is deeply furious at the police's lack of information inside his office in Bolgatanga, the upper regional capital.
"This might open the door to rumors and false information," he added.
If you require information from the police, chances are you won't obtain it, regardless of where you are in Ghana. This is due to police spokespersons and commanders around the nation being told to stop talking!
Myn FM journalist Obeng Darko Ampem, who is stationed in Koforidua, told a tale of how the police refused to talk to him about a breaking news event that occurred in a local hamlet. Recently, a criminal case occurred in Okrase, one of our neighboring villages. And my group made an effort to verify the information we had been given and obtain information from our regional commander. "Unfortunately, we were instructed to get in touch with [the police] headquarters," he stated.
The local police possessed information on the event, but they were unable to share it with the media until it had been approved by the headquarters' editorial board.
Accra has become the hub for police communication from all across the nation, which makes it challenging for the public and media to obtain information.
In a time when spreading false information and disinformation is a fine art, there is concern that the circumstance can lead to unwarranted conjecture about what is going on in the nation.
And many journalists in Ghana share the annoyance brought on by the police's stifling and concentration of information.
Yet, how can a single central communication hub manage demands from 216 districts and 16 regions? Why would the police silence its regional officers, who have access to direct knowledge, and instead rely on communication staff at the national headquarters, who only have secondary information?
JoyNews made many unsuccessful attempts to contact the police public relations department in Accra for comment, which added to the concerns of the country's journalists in the various districts and regions.
Journalists found it difficult to obtain information during the recent outbreak of violence in the Upper Region town of Bawku, which resulted in a lot of rumors about what was happening.
According to journalist Albert Sore, "different information started spreading." Also, the police PRO insisted repeatedly that he had no information about me. He was proposing that we speak with the public relations department in Accra if we wanted information at a time when he didn't have it.
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