Recruitment into the Ghana Police service under scrutiny as national security demands review of process and requirements as part of reforms undertaken to strengthen Ghana’s internal security capability.
Still, security experts say political influence in the requirement will make the review difficult.
The national security strategy policy is demanding urgent review of process and requirement for recruitment into the Ghana police.
Political and other influence in the recruitment into the Police has become a major concern.
The policy considers the review key in its program to strengthen the internal security capability of Ghana to confront a domestic and foreign threat.
The policy gears towards the protection, and empowerment of the citizenry to develop confidence in the ability of the state to protect them and safeguard their welfare and personal well-being under the rule of law in a national environment of peace, prosperity and development.
It identifies the Police as the institution with the primary statutory responsibility to maintain law and order and to ensure the internal security of the country.
To ensure success in the reform, the policy makes three demands on the Ghana Police, one a Review of the process and requirements for recruitment into the GPS to ensure that recruitment is targeted at the specific branch or department into which the potential recruit is eventually expected to serve in.
Two a Review of the training and course packages of the GPS with the aim of developing training and course packages that focus on intelligence-led and evidence-led policing, and enhance career skills, expertise and prospects of service personnel in conformity with current circumstances.
And finally Review of the implementation of the national security Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) project with the intention of developing a plan for its full implementation. The overall objective of the policy is Maintenance of law and order while respecting human rights and the rule of law as fundamental to ensuring internal security under a constitutional democracy.
In this context, internal security according to the national security will be promoted by creating an enabling political environment hinged on good governance, rule of law, human rights, credible and peaceful political transitions and the domination and control of the territory of Ghana, including securing our maritime boundaries, controlling our aviation corridors and protecting Critical National Infrastructure.
The national Security Council according to the report will provide the strategic direction to ensure that the relevant agencies take the requisite steps to ensure that a safe and secure environment prevails in the country.
The Ministry of national security will coordinate the intelligence and information required for the related strategic decision-making by the NSC.
The effectiveness of law enforcement in ensuring the country’s internal security requires that it be grounded in the criminal justice system.
Therefore, the roles played by the relevant agencies in the criminal justice system have to be complementary.
The document recognizes the Police, the Judiciary Service and the Ghana Prisons Service are the key players in the criminal justice system.
They are to be supported by the National Intelligence Bureau, the primary internal intelligence agency, to achieve results considering the important role these three key institutions play in the criminal justice system: priority attention.
But International security and safety analyst Adam Bonah says the influence of politicians in recruiting personnel into the service is making policing difficult, “before you are recruited into the service you must know someone and as a result of this recruitment in the most instance is not done on merit.
“This is destroying the image of the police such that we have officers that are there doing things that are against the ethics of the service,” he added.
Sorce: Myjoyonline
