Turning invitations into arrests is making citizens reluctant to assist police – Twumasi Ankrah

Legal practitioner Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah has cautioned that the routine of arresting individuals following requests for their assistance in investigations is causing people to be less inclined to cooperate with law enforcement. The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) explained this apprehension during an interview on JoyNews' The Law program on October 4, 2026.

Twumasi Ankrah emphasized that the uncertainty surrounding these invitations has instilled fear in people who might otherwise provide valuable information to investigators. Speaking to Samson Lardy, he stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to address these concerns. "When people willingly submit themselves or attend to an invitation extended to them by the police or any other institution with the power to effect arrest, they end up being arrested," he noted.

Citizens are now more likely to wait for a formal arrest rather than agree to an invitation that could lead to unexpected detention. Twumasi Ankrah acknowledged that invitations serve a crucial role in obtaining information, especially when investigators are unsure whether someone should be considered a suspect. However, he warned that the repeated use of such invitations that lead to arrests has eroded citizens' confidence in the process.

"They have so often created, turned an invitation into an arrest that the people have now become apprehensive," he stated. This has left citizens weighing the desire to assist in uncovering the truth against the fear of losing their freedom. "There is this genuine fear as to whether it is imminent or remote, that when they go, there is a likelihood they won’t come back home," Twumasi Ankrah said.

He advised those who receive such invitations to seek legal representation in order to mitigate potential risks. "You go with your lawyer to pre-empt anything that may happen which was not within your contemplation," he advised. He further argued that once officers prevent an individual from leaving after an invitation, they must acknowledge the shift from voluntary attendance to detention and ensure that the person's constitutional rights are protected.