UCC representatives and their top police counterparts after the ceremony
One Hundred and twenty-nine police officers have been admitted by the Police Academy to study a Post Graduate Diploma in Security Studies.
This is the first batch of personnel to start the programme after the Police Service signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to affiliate all the police training institutions with the University of Cape Coast.
As per the MoU, UCC will run a tailor-made academic and professional programme for personnel at various levels of the service.
At a matriculation ceremony held over the weekend, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, whose speech was read on his behalf by Professor Dora F.Edu-Buandoh, the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, said this first cohort is made up of ninety-nine males and thirty females.
He underscored UCC’s commitment to joining hands with the Ghana Police Service to enhance the training of personnel of the service to meet the security, crime and terrorism related challenges in Ghana and beyond.
“In doing this, we shall provide quality training to attain the Ghana Police Service’s vision of becoming a world-class police service capable of delivering a planned, democratic, protective and peaceful service up to the standard of international best practices.”
He said that the Post Graduate Diploma in Security Studies programme has taken into consideration contemporary standards and competences in police training.
Continuing, he said the course bridges the traditional police training and practice with contemporary academic policing education.
“It is also aimed at training personnel in strategic research, leadership and security policy and strategy formulation.
The programme will eventually support the national security development agenda of the country,” he disclosed.
The Inspector General of Police, James Oppong Boanuh, in an address said successful graduates of this phase of the training will be awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Security Studies.
He said the officer cadet and cadet officers are undergoing the course for a period of nine months in three phases.
“Having completed the first phase which spans three months, they are being ushered into another phase of three months after this ceremony.
This phase will entail academic courses to be organised and taught by lecturers from the UCC, while other very senior officers from the Police Service will also lecture in some of the courses.
“The third phase will cover practical law enforcement, professional disciplines to enhance the knowledge and skills of course participants in contemporary policing while participants will bring knowledge in the theories they have acquired to bear on their practical police duties,” he added.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey