Two thousand nine hundred and sixty-one recruits and under cadets, being the first batch of trainees for the year 2022, have passed out from the police training schools over the weekend.
They are made up of one thousand nine hundred and fifty-three (1,953) males, one thousand and eight (1,008) females and four hundred and thirty-seven (437) under cadets.
The graduands spent six months of intensive basic police training programme at the National Police Training School (NPTS), Tesano, Accra, Regional Police Training Schools in Koforidua, Ho, Kumasi and the Police Public Safety Training School at Pwalugu (Bolgatanga).
The unprecedented simultaneous graduations across the country, equally matched passing out parade address that was standardised, syndicated and presented at all the locations same time by the reviewing officers drafted from among the scheduled officers at the national headquarters.
Bolgatanga
In Bolgatanga, the Director General of National Protection Directorate, COP, Mr Francis Ebenezer Doku, who reviewed the passing out parade in Pwalugu (Bolgatanga), stated that the administration is taking pragmatic steps to weed out miscreants and criminals masquerading in police uniform from the service.
This, he said, would lead to the restoration of reputation and good image.COP Doku said the police administration in pursuit of this avowed aim would not countenance any acts of bribery, extortion, corruptible activities and any forms of criminality.
Seven hundred and twenty-five (725) recruits, three hundred and ninety-seven (397) males, three hundred and twenty-eight (328) and sixty-one (61) under cadets passed out. The Regional Police Training School at Pwalugu was started in the year 2004 with ASP, Mr G.O Akpalu being the first OC. Presently, Chief Superintendent, Mr Wilson Aniagyei is the Officer Commanding.
Meanwhile, a retired COP, who preferred anonymity after watching the impressive performances put up by the graduands from one of the training schools, commended the police administration for the efforts to take the service to a world class level.
He, however, recommended that the Chief Constable, being Dr George Dampare, must personally ‘ring fence’ these very police men and women following their exposure to high risk operations training among others.
Accra
In Accra, the NPTS hosted eight hundred and forty-seven (847) graduands, which had four hundred and sixty-seven (467) males, three hundred and eighty (380) females and one hundred and seventy-nine (179) under cadets.
The Commissioner of Police (COP), Mr Ken Yeboah, who reviewed the colorful parade at the premier training school, stated that emerging crimes, terrorism, cyber related crimes, new policing challenges and changes in modus operandi of criminals are some of the issues that impinge upon us day in and day out.
This, he said, translates into increased demand on the personnel of the Ghana Police Service to deliver services that are more diverse, complex, skilled and specialised in order to deal with current crime trends.
He went on that, it is to equip Police personnel with the requisite knowledge and the skills needed to effectively deal with these challenges of modern-day policing that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, introduced a paradigm shift in recruit training modules and a changing focus in policing in the country as a whole.
By this, equal emphasis is now placed on field training activities such as riding, driving, swimming/diving, crowd control, incident and disaster management, crime scene management, traffic management, radio communications, intelligence gathering, community based patrols, charge Office management, access control, arrest and search procedures, use of force procedures, human rights, client care and professional Police ethics, tactical progression, weapon handling and high risk operations.
The NPTS was established in 1930, with Superintendent J.T Hanson as the first Officer Commanding (OC), having taken over the commandship from 12th August, 1958 to 8th June 1959.The current OC is Chief Superintendent Samuel Asiedu Okanta.
Koforidua
In Koforidua Gallaway, the Regional Police Training School (RPTS) that used to harbour the no nonsense Reserve and Mobile Force troops (now base for the Regional Special Weapons And Tactics, SWAT, Counter Terrorism Unit, CTU, and Rapid Deployment Force, RDF), the Director General of Administration, COP Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the reviewing officer, stated that the strenuous endurance is to equip the trainees with the requisite skills to be able to respond to emergency cases and any eventuality.
According to him, in consonance with the implementation of the new training curriculum and the restructuring of training activities, some institutions have been of immense help to the Ghana Police Service.
He went on that, of these, mention could be made of Deutsche Gesellscha Fur Internationale Zusamunenad Beit (GIZ) for sponsoring the development and review of the recruits training curriculum together with the refurbishment of the ICT Laboratory of NPTS. West Africa Program to Combat AIDS and STI (WAPCAS) is also partnering the police Service to develop e-learning platform to enhance training of our recruits and personnel on modern policing methods and procedures, human rights investigative technique procedures.
The COP continued that, almost all “our neighbouring countries have experienced some form of terrorist attack. We cannot, therefore, fold our arms and wait for the worst to happen and it has thus become imperative to prepare our personnel to adequately respond to such threats or attacks.”
In view of this, all recruits as part of their basic training were sent to the High Risk Operations Training School, formerly Counter Terrorism Enactment and Concentration Center at Huhunya in the YiloKrobo Municipality of the Eastern Region where they were taken through various activities such as repelling, mountaineering, jumping from moving vehicles, firing from moving vehicles to suppress target or take cover and a host of tactical training to position them to respond appropriately to any attack on the country.
The RPTS in Koforidua was opened in December 1952.The first OC, ASP P.A Morris took over in 1954. The current OC, Superintendent Charity Amankwa and her able-bodied instructors supervised the training of Four hundred and sixteen (416) recruits, including fifty (50) under-cadets.
Ho
In the Volta Regional capital, Ho, the Director General of Private Security Operations, COP Mr Alphonse Adu Amankwa reviewed the parade of the smartly turned out three hundred and sixty-one (361) recruits, including forty-nine (49) under-cadets.
He told the trainees that the police system is such that, you will be rejected if you demand instant gratification and reminded them that the calling as a police officer is an Honourable one. Again, that they are being granted that enviable state authority to enforce the laws hence obligated to comply with the very laws they are to enforce.
The COP entreated them to conduct selves in public in such a manner to earn respect and from there they will build their confidence to be served.
The RPTS in Ho was established on 18th August, 1961 and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr J.R.O Abbey heading the institution between 10th August 1961 and 5th August 1968, as the first OC. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr William Yankey Acolatse is the current Officer Commanding the school.
Kumasi
The Director General of Legal and Prosecution, COP Mr Nathan Kofi Boakye entreated the graduands to respect the rights of the citizens they are going to protect.
He went on that, “whilst out there practicing your skills, you have an opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives and treat them as if they were the most important persons on planet earth.”
COP Kofi Boakye, affectionately known as ‘Commander One’, cautioned the young police personnel against engaging in acts unbecoming of law enforcement officials such as robberies. Contingents of six hundred and twelve (612), made up of three hundred and two (302) and eighty-eight (88) passed out.
The Regional Police Training School in Kumasi was commissioned in the year 1991, first OC happened to be Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr I.A Offei. The current OC is Chief Superintendent Mr Fredua Agyemang.
