Police Recruitment Process: My Experience

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Onece Upon a time, I was assigned by my News editor, Erastus Asare Donkor to attend a press conference at the police Regional Headquarters in Kumasi.

We were informed that there will be press briefing concerning some Fulanis that were busted in a swoop at Agogo. By then, the fulani issue at Agogo was at its peak.

I set off by foot from Ellis Avenue, Nhyieso where our office is located. In less than forty minutes, I was already at the headquarters.

When i got there, about 21 Fulanis were actually arrested from their hideout in Agogo. They were arrested with pump action guns, machetes, condoms, and surprisingly pants in their custody.

What a shock!
Upon my arrival at the police headquarters, i saw thousands of young men and women gathered at the headquarters in the scorching Sun waiting patiently for whatever purpose for which they were there for.

I have no option than to go to the Public Relations Department for some interrogations before the press briefing by the Regional Commander.So I got the opportunity to speak to the second-in-command, Corporal Godwin Ahianyo (now Chief Inspector ).

Mr. Godwin Ahianyo explained that the police administration was embarking on a recruitment process and that the people I saw were actually gathered at the headquarters to buy the form to try their luck or partake in the exercise.

He then advised that I can equally buy the form to try my luck as well. I didn't hesitate at all. I proceeded to secure the form genuinely.

Personally, I was not fully focused on the process because of the perception that police enlist people based on protocol. I was actually trying to ascertain the myth and truth behind the process to see if there is any veracity about what I hear about Police enlistment process. Even though, I met all the requirements to be enlisted, I knew it was not going to work because of the perception that police recruit people on protocol bases.

My story vehemently debunked the above allegation against the police administration.

After filling the form, I duly posted it to the prescribed address.

One day, whiles gathering stories for our Midday news, I had a call that I'm having a letter at the post office. After the Midday news, I hurriedly rush to the post office for the letter. I opened the letter and to my surprise, it's a letter from the police administration inviting me for Body examination and selection. It also includes examination and inspection of academic and personal documents. Successful candidates in the above exercise shall be made to write aptitude test. I went numb after seeing the letter because I was not expecting it all.

On the day for the body selection, it was trouble considering the number of people I met. Initially, I went there as early as 5:30 am in order to finish my part as quick as possible so I can rush back to the office at Nhyieso. But looking at the crowed I met at the Kumasi Police Training Academy, I realize the exercise was going to take the whole day. So i have to play along.

The body selection exercise was an interesting exercise to behold. There was a gentle man who claim to be good at blowing a trumpet but when he was given the opportunity to demonstrate his talent, you can't laugh. Lol. When he blew the trumpet, we heard nothing, I mean no sound from the trumpet.

Now, it got to the turn of the exam. There were two types of exams we had to write. They were dictation and comprehension. I called the dictation "knock out" because if you fail, you will not get the chance to proceed to the next level.So it was a total knock out for some fellows.

For the dictation, one is required to obtain certain marks. If you fail to obtain the required marks expected, that is the end of the road for you. Fortunately or unfortunately, after the dictation, about thousand of people were sacked for their failure to meet the required marks leaving few of us.

Those of us who were able to sail through the dictation stage proceeded to write the comprehension with ease. The day went well, and we passed through the process successfully.

Now, after the one week body selection exercise, we were asked to go and pray and that we will hear from the police administration when the time is due.

Once again, i was schocked when after some few months, we were called again to turn up for a medical examination. Here, we had a difficult time, going through the process. But with determination again we sailed through.

I was covering a program one day in the Amansie West District in the Ashati region, when a friend called that she received a call from the police headquarters to come for her appointment letter at the Police Headquarters. I have not had any call but I told myself if police recruitment process is really honest-to-God and anything to go by, my letter will definitely be there.

So I set off from Kumasi in the evening and arrived at Accra late night.Early in the morning, I was at the police Headquarters where I met other guys on the same mission.

Whiles standing in front of the Headquarters, an officer came to park his car and asked what we were doing there and we explained our mission. He then asked us to follow him. When we got to the office and they finally brought the list out and My name happens to be part of the several others who were recruited.

This looks like a dream to me. So i started asking myself some few questions; I thought it is said police enlistment process is about knowing influential people in this country?

Or were those attacks meant to calumniate or denigrate the Police administration? These two questions keeps me thinking. I went through the police enlistment process without paying a dime to anybody.

Upon receiving my appointment letter, I decided to serve this country as a police officer.

The heart and soul of this script is to inform you that not all that you hear about Police Service is true. The police enlistment process is always genuine even though I believe there might be some machiavellian or boorish individuals that would want to take the name of the service to the gutters. You might have your opinion but the fact remains that the police does a clean job when it comes to enlistment of potential candidates into the service.This is evidenced in the current online enlistment process which has little human interference as compared to the previous process.

That is my story.
Ghana Police Service, Service with Integrity!