Police train personnel for elections

By Dora Akyaa Asare

A five day training programme has been organised for Media Monitoring and Public Affairs Personnel in the Ghana Police Service to upgrade their skills and knowledge to monitor media content in the coming election.

The programme, which was organised and funded by the Police Administration, aims at training the Police Public Affairs and Media Monitoring Personnel’s to improve on their communication and information flow from the public to help fight crime during and after the election.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the five days training programme, the Director-General of Police Administration, COP Rose Bio Atinga noted: “the media has been veritably touted as the fourth estate of the realm, due to the crucial role they play in democratic states.

“They hold public institutions and civil servants accountable to the public by serving as the watch-dog for the people”.

According to her, the media serves as the channel through which the public express their concerns and problems with services rendered unto them and also participate in governance.

COP Atinga noted that the aim of the training is to upgrade the Media Monitoring Unit, where state- of- the- art equipment is being installed to ensure effective monitoring of the media for a better service.

The new centre and the training are also some of the measures the police are instituting to ensure a peaceful election as monitoring the media would afford the police the opportunity to know all the happenings in the coming election.

She further assured the public that the police will leave no stone unturned in their bid to secure the integrity of the 2012 election.

The Director-General of Police Administration urged the participants in the course to take advantage of this rare opportunity and imbibe with zeal what would be imparted unto them by the consultants from the Centre for Media Analysis.

“You must also bear in mind that you will be required to pass on the knowledge you will acquire to your colleagues, who will be joining you from time to time,” She noted.

On his part the Director of Operations, CID, ACP Frank Kwoffie noted: “for every institution to make progress in whatever it has chosen to do, it is incumbent upon it to keep abreast with time. From time to time, there is the need for revisions of methods of operation, up-grading of knowledge and skills, and over-hauling of equipment

He said the Ghana Police Service acknowledges this fact, and also continue to put measures in place regularly to enable the service be of use to the public.

ACP Kwofie added that ever since the inceptions of the current Police Administration, personnel of all ranks have had the opportunity to undergo the refresher courses to upgrade their knowledge and skills, to enable them deliver.

According to him, the Police Administration considers training and retraining as an essential tool in the provision of the better services and attainment of their goals, as contained in the Strategic National Policing Plan.

“This course is, therefore, in line with the general objectives of the Police Administration to bring the Ghana Police Service to the levels of international best practice,” he noted.

 

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