The Chief Director of the Ministry for the Interior, Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, has advocated the need for women to take up leadership positions to help in the decision making process.
She said women had to work extra hard to get the recognition they needed.
“Women should take their work and every opportunity given seriously while upgrading their educational level and not been comfortable where they are,” she added.
Mrs Anno-Kumi gave the advice in an interview with the Ghanaian Times at the 59th International Association of Women Police (IAWP) conference at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada last Friday.
The five-day event which was on the theme “Connect, Empower, Lead” sought to strengthen, unite and raise the capacity of women in police around the world.
It was being hosted by the Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE), the Niagara Regional Police Service and Hamilton Police.
It was attended by hundreds of police women from 46 countries, including Ghana comprising of 28 police and 25 immigration officers led by Commissioner of Police (COP) Nathan Kofi Boakye, Director General of Legal and Prosecutions of the Ghana Police Service.
Mrs Anno-Kumi stated that women in policing had attained 70 years.
She stated that there was currently a total of 43,546 police officers comprising of 31,092 males, 12,454 females representing a percentage of 28.60.
“This is good especially in a male dominated organisation, I think women have been given some effective positions that has encouraged them and yielded the increase, “she said.
The Chief Director assured of the government’s continuous support to ensure more women were involved in policing and decision making process of the country.
She urged the men to accept the positions of women and support them to contribute to decision making process of the country.
“One of the challenges is that since it is a male dominated organisation we are still pulling the men to accept the positions of women,” she added.
FROM ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI, NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO (CANADA)
