PTwo hundred crime officers across the country yesterday converged at the Police Headquarters in Accra, to attend the third annual conference.
It was organised by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), to equip the officers with relevant skills and competencies in modern investigative techniques.
The programme, was organised on the theme: “Addressing the Challenges of Contemporary Investigation for Effective Prosecution: The Role of Investigators”, and attended by members of the Police Management Board and the Ghana Prisons Service, National Security and the Bureau of National Investigations.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, who opened the two-day conference, said the role of crime officers and investigators could not be over emphasised.
He urged security personnel to work assiduously despite the challenges of criminal investigations, saying that if investigators did not do their work well, there was little prosecution could do to ensure effective justice delivery.
Mr Dery assured of government’s determination to assist the GPS to discharge its duties effectively.
He said, “The President of the Republic recently ensured the delivery of modern communication equipment and 4,500 fragmentation jackets to protect the police and ensure effective policing.”
Mr Dery commended the Police Administration for its continuous effort to empower its personnel.
He said that police personnel, who would accept postings to the rural areas, would be promoted to motivate them do their work.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, said the conference outlined the critical role crime officers played in the criminal justice and administration system of the country.
He said efforts to tackle organised and violent crimes depended to a large extent on quality of investigators or detectives, and their ability to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal cases.
The IGP commended government for supporting the police with the needed tools and equipment.
Mr Oppong-Boanuh urged crime officers to “build partnership, cooperate and work effectively with personnel you supervise, as well as the uniform personnel in order to achieve a common goal ’’.
The Director -General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, said the success of prosecution depended on effective investigations.
She asked crime offices to enhance their knowledge, skills and competencies so that they could be in tune with modern crime prevention.
The Director of Public Prosecution at the Attorney General’s Department, Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, urged security personnel to share information to help prevent crime in the country.
As part of the programme, Chief Superintendent of Police (Chief Supt) Reynolds Manteaw, Crime Officer of Upper West Region and Chief Supt Sampson Agbeko, Crime Officer of Upper East Region, were rewarded for their dedication to work.END
ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI