Executives of the Community Police Assistants (CPAs) are asking authorities to absorb them into mainstream policing as their contract with the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) nears expiration.
This follows an announcement by management of YEA that the beneficiaries “service of engagement with the Agency officially ends this month, 31st August 2022”.
The employed youth who are estimated to be over 10,000, are expected to vacate their posts by the end the month.
The trainees were recruited under the security module of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) to assist personnel of the Ghana Police Service in checking criminal activities and maintaining law and order in the communities.
A copy of YEA’s notice to the CPAs Module beneficiaries
Speaking on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo Morning Show, Sakyi Boateng, National President for the Community Police Assistants called for recruitment into the Ghana Police Service.
He noted that the contract with YEA is for two years however, it has be renewed a number of times thus giving some of them the opportunity to serve for four to six years instead of the regular two years.
“After two years my contract was renewed… I served for six years…we didn’t know about the renewal but authorities renewed our contract for us in 2020 and that’s the part we don’t understand. If it is two years then we should have gone home after our service but renewing it has given us extra exposure to the operations of the police and that has also given Ghanaians the assurance that community policing has come to stay”, he said in Twi.
Mr. Boateng explained that residents have developed confidence in the CPAs and tend to report issues to them and they in turn direct them to the appropriate institutions such as DOVVSU, CID among others.
He added that they have written a number of petitions to be absorbed into the police but did not get any response.
“We want them to extend the contract for us…this will give us the chance to be integrated into the mainstream police force because a lot of us qualify and gradually we can be absorbed into the system to serve the nation.
“But for our love for Ghana and our passion to serve we wouldn’t still be in this community police module. If we were chasing after money and looking at the various conditions of work, we might have quit a long time ago.”
Both the National PRO and Organizer, Evans Afram and Amos Agyapong who joined the president on the show also advocated same.
