COP Prosper Agblor in a group photograph with participants, representatives from EU and other senior police officers
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. James Oppong Boanuh, has admitted that the relationship between the police and the public has not been the best.
He said the unprofessional conduct of some police personnel dents the image of the service and it has deepened wrong perception that police officers are unfriendly, corrupt and unprofessional.
The IGP said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Director General in charge of Legal and Prosecution, Commissioner of Police (COP) Prosper Kwami Agblor, at a police training programme in Accra recently.
The ‘Train – the – trainers / mentoring’ course on Improved Police Public Relations (IPPR) on international standards was attended by 36 personnel.
The IGP maintained that as a security institution in charge of maintaining law and order in the society, there was the need to make an effort to partner the community and ‘win’ their support to collectively tackle crime.
“Crime prevention and management can only be effective when recognition is given to the shared responsibility between the police and the public,” he said.
The IGP commended the European Union (EU) for rolling out and funding the capacity-building course to enhance the interpersonal skills of frontline personnel, adding that they were trying to train at least 8,640 frontline personnel of the service.
The Director in charge of International Relations at the Police Headquarters, ACP Baba Adamu, in an address, said the training would ensure the best of service is rendered to the public.
He urged participants to ensure that they put whatever knowledge they had acquired to good use.
Besides, the EU donated some quantities of laptops, projectors, projector screens, flipcharts with stands, among others, to the Police Administration
Also present were Col. Frans Van Veenedaal, Director of European Union Police and Civilian Service Training Programme; Vincentius Bernartius Egbers, Deputy Commander of Royal Netherlands Marechaussee; Curriculum Developers, facilitators and other senior police officers.
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey