Community policing units are to be established across the country to promote police-public partnership, Commissioner of Police (COP) Paul Manly Awini, Director-General of the National Police Patrol has revealed.
He said the personnel would partner with members of the community, interact with them to know their security challenges and how to deal with crimes.
COP Awini disclosed this at a trainer of trainer’s workshop for selected officers in Accra yesterday to equip them with new community policing concept.
He said every police district would have a total of 18 police officers who would work 24hours.
COP Awini stated thatthe community policing concept had now been mainstreamed into the various police training schools, and at their institution of high places of learning to ensure that all officers got the concept of community policing.
“Those police officers already in the system are going to be trained by these trainers to also get the concept of the community police module, the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is introducing,” he said.
The Director-General said the Federal Government Agency GIZ was helping with the development of the community policing strategy.
The Director in charge of Community Policing Directorate, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Laurencia Wilhemina Akorli, in her remarks said personnel to be trained were drawn from the various police training schools in the country.
She said they would be trained for five days after which they would also train others within their areas on the new concept.
Some of the topics to be discussed are community policing concepts, ethics and professional image, police patrols in neighbourhood watch communities, consultation and planning, problem-oriented policing, partnership and collaboration with the public and crime prevention.
Present were Philippe Nehenke, GIZ programme Manager, Dr Dominique Wisler, an international facilitator, Gideon Nii Quaye, also a facilitator and other senior police officers.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
