The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, on Tuesday launched the “Revised Service Instruction” and “Communication and Public Education Strategy” of the Ghana Police Service.
The two documents are expected to underpin the on-going Transformation Agenda (TA) programme of the Ghana Police Service, initiated two (2) years ago by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu.
The TA programme envisage to leverage the Ghana Police Service (GPS) into a world class status capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective and peaceful services up to standards of international best practice.
It is in this respect that the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service has developed the Public Education and Communication Strategy to support the on-going Transformation Agenda and the operational strategies of the Service.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, applauded the Police Administration for reviewing its Service Instructions to reflect current demands of the Police Service.
According to him, the Service had become one that respect the principles of democratic policing and it was therefore appropriate for it to review the set of instructions that had governed the professional conduct of the force since it was instituted.
“The Ghana Police Service was called the Gold Coast Constabulary before 1957 and later the Ghana Police Force after independence in 1957. However, the same set of instructions that governed the professional conduct of the Force remained same till now even though the Organization has become a Service respecting the principles of democratic policing. It is therefore in the right direction that a review has been done on the old Service Instructions to come out with a modern version that will reflect current demands of the Police Service as it undergoes transformation”, he said.
He also expressed confidence in the Communication Strategy being the spring-board for a robust communication platform that seeks to reach out to all stakeholders to build strong and lasting partnerships for safer communities and businesses.
Mr. Dery used the occasion to reaffirm Government’s commitment to equipping and maintaining the Police Service so as to enable it performs its legitimate duty of maintaining law and order.
The Public Education and Communication Strategy development was supported by the European Union through its Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Programme (ARAP) with valuable inputs from some selected Police officers and members of the Public Education Working Group (PEWG) of related state-owned agencies and Civil Society Organizations including Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Judicial Service, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Legal AID and the Office of the Attorney-General.
