The Director of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Owusu Kyeremeh, has come under scrutiny following multiple petitions filed against her at the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB).
The petitions, filed by different individuals and through their lawyers, raise concerns about the senior police officer’s alleged handling of domestic and matrimonial disputes, particularly cases involving husbands and wives who are already engaged in divorce proceedings.
According to the petitioners, ACP Owusu Kyeremeh’s conduct in some of the cases has created concerns about fairness and impartiality, with allegations that husbands appearing before DOVVSU over matrimonial disputes are sometimes treated as suspects even where competing allegations have been made by both parties.
One of the recent petitions, filed by lawyers representing a complainant, alleges “discrimination, unfairness, bias, injustice and malicious prosecution” in the handling of criminal complaints arising from a troubled matrimonial relationship.
The lawyers claim that their client has been subjected to what they consider unfair treatment in a dispute involving his wife, while allegations and complaints made against the wife have allegedly not received similar attention.
The petitioners further allege that, in some instances, the DOVVSU Director has called for the discontinuation of cases involving wives while criminal proceedings against their husbands have continued.
They contend that such an approach raises questions about whether competing complaints arising from matrimonial disputes are being assessed objectively and in accordance with established police procedures.
The petitions have subsequently come before the PPSB, which is responsible for examining complaints concerning the professional conduct of police officers.
The petitioners are asking the police administration to investigate the allegations against ACP Owusu Kyeremeh and take appropriate action if any wrongdoing is established.
The complaints also raise questions about the delicate role of DOVVSU in cases where domestic violence allegations overlap with divorce proceedings, especially where both parties make criminal allegations against each other.
The petitioners insist that their concerns are not intended to undermine the mandate of DOVVSU but rather to ensure that domestic and matrimonial cases are handled fairly, professionally and without favouritism.
