Thirty police officers from various commands across the five regions of the north have undergone a nine-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on enhanced community policing mechanisms in the northern part of the country.
The training, organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service (GPS), sought to enhance police-community collaboration, early crime detection and prevention, accountability and inclusive participation in policing.
At the opening ceremony of the training, the Director-General of the National Patrol Directorate of the GPS, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mohamed Fuseini Suraji, described the initiative as a strategic intervention aimed at enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Police Service while deepening public confidence in policing.
He said the programme aligned with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police to make policing more proactive, accessible and community-centred.
According to him, policing must move beyond reactive responses and be rooted within communities to address emerging security challenges effectively.
He admonished the participants to serve as change agents by replicating the knowledge and skills acquired during the training within their respective commands.
Continued support
For her part, the Chief Representative of JICA’s Ghana Country Office, Momoko Suzuki, indicated that the Japanese government continues to support Ghana in various sectors, including agriculture and health systems and is committed to strengthening community policing initiatives.
Given the evolving security challenges, particularly in northern Ghana and the Sahel sub-region at large, she said, innovative approaches and continued capacity building were required to enhance security in the area.
She indicated that since 2017, nine Ghanaian police officers had travelled to Japan for specialised community policing training, while JICA planned to continue supporting community policing programmes in Ghana until 2027.
Capacity building
The Director of Community Policing, ACP Gifty Mawuenyega Tehoda, explained that the training was designed to equip selected officers with the skills and methodologies needed to train other personnel and sustain best practices within the GPS.
She described the programme as timely and strategic, particularly given emerging security threats in northern Ghana.
“Community policing provides a practical framework for addressing these challenges through partnership, dialogue and shared responsibility,” she said.
In a welcome address, the Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Wisdom Lavoe, emphasised that modern policing required collaboration, empathy and partnership with citizens to prevent crime and promote peace.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh