Dr. Raymond Atuguba, a Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, has called for an amendment of the current Police Standing Orders and Squad Rules to fit into Ghana's democracy. He is of the view that the inability of the Police Service to infuse pre-existing systems, processes, protocols etc with the philosophy of the current constitutional regime is part of the countless reasons why police officers continue with brutalities. The Law Lecturer said this in Accra at the 3rd Annual Human Rights Lecture organised by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on the theme "50 years of the rule of law in Ghana: Assessing Human Rights Protection." According to him it is time for stakeholders to take a critical look at the standing orders and squad rules which have been in existence since the 1900s and bring it in line with the new dispensation. Dr. Atuguba who spoke on the sub-theme "Stamping out Rights: The Impact of Police Brutalities On Democracy and governance" said, "police brutalities do not just happen, they are conceived, nurtured and born." He called on all state agencies to put in place adequate measures that would enable them to watch closely the recruitment, training and management of Police Personnel across the country. The Law Lecturer was also of the view that the general institutional failure in the country is a major fac¬tor for police brutalities since many civilians who have lost faith in the legal system prefer recruiting police personnel for their private jobs, like debt collection. In addition, the weak and flawed systems within the police service which make it difficult for people to report cases of brutalities, oversight responsibilities by superiors and accountability have led to impunity and the perpetuation of police brutalities across the country. He commended the Police authorities for the establishment of a thirty three member Police Intelligence and Professional Unit (PIPS) with the aim of investigating human rights abuses and police misconducts. He urged the citizenry to see it as a duty to monitor the use of the force that is vested in the police by the state and subject it to intense scrutiny otherwise; it would be difficult to uphold democracy, good governance and human rights. The Executive Director of Justice Human Rights Institute, Professor Ken Attafuah at the same function spoke on the theme "Instant Justice, The Criminal Justice System and Human Rights in Ghana," called on the national security to adopt effective measures to find a lasting solution to the menace of mob justice. He said mob actions (instant justice) have never solved any problem since the creation of the world. "We do not use illegalities to solve illegalities." "The path of true justice may be frustrating and time consuming but its results are more convenient than any other form of set¬tling disputes," he said. Prof. Attafuah said, "mob justice presents a serious challenge for our democratic society," and expressed worry about the growing act of lawlessness and gross injustices in Ghana. Prof. Attafuah said it was still necessary for people to respect the law as the only way to promote peace and stability, reminding Ghanaians; "we together opted to go by the rule of law". Speaking on the theme" Human Rights and Social Justice in Ghana at 50: Have we come of Age?, Mr. Richard Quayson, a Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner noted that the achievement of the ideals of democracy in Ghana depends on an environment that is supportive of fundamental human rights of all persons. He therefore suggested that the promotion of good governance and human rights culture should not be left only to the executive, legislature and judiciary, "Young people especially, have distinct capabilities and can contribute to human rights advancement." Mr. Quayson said democracy and human rights education would encourage individuals to respect the rights of others and not discriminate against them on the grounds of sex, religion, ethnic origin, amongst others. The CHRAJ Commissioner called for cordial Police-civilian relationships, which, he said, were vital to the promotion of security and stability in any society, without which a nation's democracy is threatened. The Regional Coordinator of CHRI, Nana Oye Lithur called on government to adopt measures that would aide in increasing the number and distribution of judicial services and legal aid especially in rural areas. She further called for an improvement in the court infrastructure across the country since the states of many of the lower courts in the country does not befit a country that believes in the rule of law. Source: Public Agenda