Destroyed documents and dressing mirror at the Kwesimintim Police Station
Last Sunday, unruly soldiers/airmen of the Air Force Base in Takoradi took the law into their own hands.
They reportedly descended upon a Police Station at Kwesimintsim and assaulted personnel on duty.
While we condemn the action of these bad elements or black sheep in a disciplined state institution, we must salute the quick reaction of the military high command upon hearing the story. Both the Chief of the Defence Staff Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje and his Chief Of Air Staff have taken the necessary action in response to the melee as well as the Base Commander.
Even as they promised to deal with the issue as per military regulations, we pray that it be done with the necessary dispatch because undue delay in justice administration is a denial of it.
Sometimes members of the public do not have confidence in the usual promise of dealing with defaulting soldiers – their fears stemming from not seeing the outcome of investigations when men misconduct themselves.
Perhaps this is an opportunity for the military authorities to let their compatriots in the civil service take them seriously by being seen to be really taking action against personnel whose misconduct threatens the good name of the military.
Those who heard the story about the rampaging soldiers had no alternative than to demand that the perpetrators of such high misconduct should not be allowed to infect others in the colours. Such characters are more prone to acting mutinously than otherwise. It is reason, when they are identified by their action as in the case under review, they should not be spared under any circumstance.
Actions which compromise the standards of an institution such as the military should not be showed any iota of mercy.
Soldiers who are able to mobilize themselves without orders from their superiors and go and beat up law enforcement agents alongside destruction of state properties have gone too far in their brazenness.
There have been similar incidents in the past but the disciplinary actions taken, if at all, were not divulged to the public. Releasing the actions taken serve to deter others from treading similar paths in future.
Young soldiers in our part of the world have the tendency to behave the way it happened in Takoradi.
Every effort must be taken to prevent a future recurrence of such dastardly action.
It is high time recruits at the country’s training depot are taught that they are under both military and civil laws; the latter superseding the former.
It would appear that some of them are oblivious to this fact, hence their undisciplined conduct sometimes when they don the olive green uniform. They easily get carried away and are wont to misconduct themselves as it happened in Takoradi.
There is no way indiscipline must be allowed in the military. The days of the so-called revolution when soldiers behaved the way they liked now belong to history.
Soldiers who are able to go and beat up cops on duty at the police station simply because their actions are unpalatable to them need serious orientation.
We await details of the action being taken against the defaulters, if they have even been identified and arrested at all.
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