A total of 410 police personnel comprising 102 females and 308 males have undergone intensive training on “enhancing police professionalism in areas of human rights and community engagement for safety and security.’’
The programme which lasted for a year was to equip participants with the requisite skills and knowledge in police-public management and human rights to enhance professionalism.
It was organised by the Research, Planning and Transformation Directorate (RPTD) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) in collaboration with the Hans Seidel Foundation (HSF), a German political foundation to promote governance and civic education.
Personnel were selected from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, Public Affairs Department and the Criminal Investigation Department.
The Director of RPTD, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Emmanuel Akonnor in his closing remarks in Accra yesterday said the training was aimed at improving police-public and media relations towards the fights against all forms of crimes.
He urged the personnel to be professional in all their activities to protect the image of the Service.
“As personnel of the Service we must be agents of change during the discharge of our duties to win public trust to ensure effective collaboration,”he added.
ACP Akonnor appealed to the public to have confidence in the police and partner them in ensuring that the communities were safe at all times.
The Regional Programme Coordinator of HSF, MsAridja Frank, called for effective collaboration between the law enforcement agencies and the citizenry to ensure peace and stability in the country.
She commended the GPS for their contribution to peace and stability in the country.
Ms Frank assured the GPS of their continuous efforts to help them achieve their mandate.
Some of the topics discussed were human rights issues, appropriate use of law enforcement supervision, community policing, overview of police transformation process of the Ghana Police Service, police professionalism and appropriate use of Authority, stress and mental health in policing, Ghana Police transformation process,policing,code of conduct and the media.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI