The Director General of Research, Planning and Transformation Directorate (RPTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr Ernest Owusu, who represented the Inspector General of Police has urged police personnel to put in their best efforts and be committed to share experiences and learn from each other.
COP Dr Owusu made this call at the opening ceremony of a four-day training workshop, organized by the RPTD with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), a German political foundation, in the area of Human rights and Community engagement as well as Client Service delivery at the Plush Royal Hotel in Accra
He also asked them to discharge their duties professionally by doing the right thing at the right time and letting their integrity come to bear in the discharge of their duties.
Thirty (30) participants of the first batch for the year 2023 consist of 6 Females and 24 males of the Sergeant and Inspectorate ranks who were nominated by their heads, across all departments and from the 25 Ghana Police Regions.
The training is to equip participants with the requisite skills and knowledge in police-public management, and human rights, to enhance professionalism and police-public relations.
COP Dr Owusu said: “in recent times, the Police Administration has come out with various interventions and strategies to motivate and enhance personnel to serve the public very well for effective service delivery to restore public trust.”
He also stated that the Police Administration has recently come out with Client Service delivery where they go around briefing the personnel on what to do in the line of their duties.
“The GPS was operating in four thematic areas thus restoring the public image, commanding public respect, regaining public confidence and cementing police legitimacy,” he noted.
The Regional Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation and coordinator for West Africa and Sahel Regions, Madam Aridja Frank in her remarks commended the Ghana Police Service for the successful implementation of its previous activities, especially for last year 2022 of which 391 personnel consisting of 93 females and 298 males were trained.
She stated that the continuation of the programme for this year 2023, is due to positive feedback and results from an independent evaluation conducted by the Foundation in December 2022.
She entreated Participants to be carried by the wind of change in the same direction for achieving the four thematic goals of the current Police administration which are: Restoring Public Trust; Commanding Public Respect; Regaining Public Confidence; and Cementing Police Legitimacy.
The topics discussed included police responsibilities and professionalism, will-Power, the critical roles of stakeholders in policing, integrity, attitudinal change, policing and the media, human rights in policing, four thematic goals and community policing; sensitisation.
The others were neighbourhood watch formation and activities, counselling, stress and mental health, law enforcement supervision and code of conduct and ethics.
Among the personalities present at the opening Ceremony was COP/Dr. Ernest Owusu, Director-General of Research, Planning and Transformation Directorate of Police; ACP/Mr. Emmanuel Akonnor, Director of Research, and Madam Aridja Frank who is the regional representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation and coordinator for West Africa and Sahel regions.