How the U.S kicked me from the police service because I was a former Ghana Police – Man tells his story

A Ghanaian based in the United States of America has revealed how he lost his chance to serve in the U.S Police force merely because he was a former Ghanaian police officer.

Francis Kyeremeh, who was a police personnel and served as the bodyguard of Former Asowkwa MP, Maxwell Kofi Jumah at the time explained on Kofi TV, that he got the chance to join the U.S police force through the support of his boss.

Though he admits he evaded due process by omitting his Ghanaian police service background details in his documentation, he revealed how the action of a policeman at the U.S embassy in Ghana cost him his job as an officer in the U.S police service.

“I was a police officer in Ghana before I came here, I was a bodyguard for Honorable Maxwell Kofi Jumah in Ghana, it was through him I came here. My first station in Ghana was Kumasi Mobile force and after becoming Kofi Jumah’s bodyguard, I left Kumasi and came to Accra.

After completing my bachelor’s degree in Accra, when I got here, I said I wanted to join the police service in Pennsylvania State. I joined the US Army. I was picked as the 1071st person out of the over 1800 persons recruited.
At the start, I didn’t add my background of policing in Ghana because I felt they might have digged in, they found out later, despite that, however, they weren’t ready to give me up.

They sent a signal to the embassy in Accra to do a background check on me and send it to Accra.

Sadly, the police officer in charge of releasing the information at the embassy, after he was requested to produce information about me, went to look for my brother and asked him to pay monies (bribe) before my information will be released.

The US officials noted this and figured something was fishy. It was later that the investigator in charge of getting my background information asked me; Francis, are you aware Ghanaian police are the most corrupt in the whole world?”

He didn’t even say Africa, that made me really sad. After that, the feedback was not forthcoming, it was forth and back and till now, they haven’t called me back”, he narrated.

Having applied for the army in the U.S and slotting a position, he seeks to advise Ghanaian leaders and colleague police officers to go beyond what they are doing to improve the system and the conditions of serving personnel in the police and military.

He explained that officers in the states are willing to defy all odds to stand and protect their country because of the incentives they get and the assurance of maximum protection regardless from the leadership of the country.

Bribery and corruption he believes, have been encouraged in the Ghanaian system because leaders, politicians, even the system barely seem to care about their subordinates, the conditions of service for police and army officers are not attractive and good enough, and there is barely respect for these people.

These are enough, according to Kyeremeh, to discourage police officers from doing their work and doing it effectively.

“The advice I will give to police officers in Ghana is that bribery is destroying our image here. You might think you are taking it alone, without it affecting anyone, but think of the millions that will be affected because of an insensitive action of yours. The little you are getting from government, please be content with it.

Since I became a soldier, I’ve realized that because the government has made efforts to make us happy, we are also encouraged to do our best. I also beg our leaders to be very supportive of police officers because money makes all things beautiful and I believe if they are getting good money for their work, they will put in their best and do away with these little bribes.

When a nation cares about you, you don’t mind dying for them. In Ghana, you can become a soldier for 40 years and still be given just 200 million cedis when he retires. Soldiers are really cared for here, citizens appreciate you, even when you are a veteran, your health, etc. is catered for and you are appreciated a lot.

How many people are appreciated even by citizens? The hardship in Ghana makes it such that people barely are happy how can they appreciate others”, he quizzed.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com