All new police officers can now swim, drive to enhance response to crime – IGP

All new officers who pass out of the police training school can now swim and drive, as the police training module has been reviewed to make trainees more efficient in responding to current crime in the country.

This was disclosed by the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare at a public lecture on Policing at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

According to the IGP, the police training school module has been changed to make it more practical and effective.

“The training school module has been changed to make it 75% practical and 25% theoretical. Now all new police officers who leave the training school can swim and drive as part of the training, so they can meet the criminals anywhere. If the criminals choose to swim, the officers will meet them. We are taking all necessary measures to ensure that we protect lives and properties”.

The IGP also noted the police plans to introduce a virtual police station to make it possible for the public to file complaints online.

“We are looking forward to a period where we will have a virtual police station. Where you don't have to show up at the police station.”

“You just make your complaint virtually, and then we will send you all the information. And we can even virtually also invite the suspect, which is data processing.”

“And we evaluate and think that it is something that we can virtually do than to show up at the police station and be unattended to and all that. So, we have a lot of work to do, but internally with a press of a button you can send messages to every police officer across the country instantly,” the police chief said.

“From headquarters to the regional level, we send documents electronically that we need not find people to come pick it up and do that,” Dr. Dampare added.