The Role of the Mass Media to Resolve Mistrust Between the Police and the Inhabitants of Ablekuma in Ghana

Abstract

Modern policing requires a good and friendly relationship between the police and the people in every democratic society. However, mistrust between the police and some inhabitants in Ghana continue to mar the needed cordiality hence the desire for this academic research work. According to Aning (2006), many Ghanaians appreciate the huge task and responsibilities of police officers, yet some also have a sense of mistrust in the way and manner the police provide services. Some studies have been carried out to assess how the public trust the police in Ghana. And most of the published studies looked at trust rather than mistrust of the Ghana Police Service, and an example is Trust in the Police; Analysis of Urban cities in Ghana by Boateng,{2015} It is against this background that the present study seeks to explore the idea of the mass media playing a mediating role in eliminating mistrust between the police and some inhabitants of Ghana focusing on the Ablekuma community a suburb in Accra. Mistrust generally exists between individuals or group of people and institutions be it public or private. Additionally, it means the feeling that you have towards someone who you do not trust. According to Aning (2006), although the Ghanaian people fully agree with the important services being provided by the police officer, there are also reports of fear and mistrust in the police due to low public-police cooperation, Aning{2006}, and Boateng{2012) In the Ghanaian society, the two researchers acknowledge that there exists a deep mistrust between the police and the public. And what largely causes this mistrust stems from the unprofessional and misconduct behaviour and attitude on the part of some police officers according to reports of Afrobarometer {2012}