A group photograph of the participants
About 40 personnel from the Central regional branch of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) have been trained on data management at Cape Coast.
The two-day capacity building workshop on sexual, gender-based violence (SGBV) data management was sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund Activities (UNPFA).
Opening the workshop, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwame Techie Poko, stated that human resource development has been the key to the success of every institution “that is why the police administration, in partnership with stakeholders, has been organising courses, seminars geared towards broadening the knowledge base of the personnel in order to enhance their performance.”
DCOP Techie Poko indicated that the world is moving at a fast pace in terms of knowledge advancement and, therefore, DOVVSU personnel need to constantly upgrade their knowledge in order to meet the demands of their time and the expectations of the people they serve.
He hinted that this year alone, the regional DOVVSU, with financial support from UNFPA, had organised three major sensitisation activities for over 500 people and built the capacity of 70 personnel to effectively manage SGBV in their various areas.
The regional police commander stated that the importance of sound data management system to every meaningful organisation cannot be over-emphasized, adding that “we live in an information age where the volume of data processed by organisation is critical to our role growth.”
“The availability of reliable data serves as basis for effective institutional decision-making since police rely on information to combat crime,” he said.
DCOP Techie Poko hinted that plans were underway by the national secretariat of DOVVSU to launch a data management system for the unit.
The regional DOVVSU Co-ordinator, DSP Appiah Sekyi, advised the participants to stake the workshop seriously for the betterment of all.
Participants expressed their gratitude to the organisers of the programme and called for more workshops and seminars to enhance their capacity.
From Sarah Afful, Cape Coast
Email:affulsco@gmail.com