Ministry to establish Senior Staff Training College

Accra, April 12, GNA - The Ministry of the Interior is to establish a Senior Staff Training College to cater for the training needs of senior officers of the security agencies under the Sector. Consequently, Papa Owusu Ankomah, the Sector Minister, on Tuesday inaugurated a six-member Committee made up of representatives of the Ghana Police, Immigration, Prisons and Ghana National Fire Services. Other representatives on the Committee are from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Narcotics Control Board.

Mrs Joana Osei Poku, Deputy Commissioner of Police, chairs the Committee, which has Mr Eric Afari, Head of Training of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS); Mrs Eunice Asamani Osae, NADMO; Mr Joachim Bebli, Prisons; Mr William Mensah, Ghana National Fire Service and Major Abu Braimah (rtd), Narcotic Control Board, as members.

The Committee, which is to submit its report by the end of June, is charged with providing guidelines on the status of the College, vis-=E0-vis similar institutions in the country; propose the location of the College and provide guidelines on financing the institution. They are also to provide guidelines on the management and faculty; curriculum; when the College would start and also address any other issues relating to its establishment.

Papa Ankomah said such a College had become necessary because only a few of the senior staff of the security agencies had the opportunity to undergo further training at the Ghana Armed Forces Senior Staff College.

"Besides, the Ghana Armed Forces Senior Staff College basically trains its staff under its programmes and just a few or about two slots are given to the Police Service per a training period," he explained. The Minister said human resource development had been an integral part of the programmes of the security agencies and the establishment of such a College would only buttress effort at equipping the staff with the requisite skills needed to face emerging criminality.

He said though some of the agencies had already put programmes in place for the training of their senior officers and were even making arrangements to establish their staff colleges, it was wise to pool resources and establish a College to cater for the use of all of them. The Minister, therefore, urged the Committee to make contacts with experts both within and outside the country to enable it to come out with a report that would help the Government to address a critical need in the human resource development programme of the security agencies.

Ms Elizabeth Adjei, Director of the GIS, said in the face of contemporary criminality, such as "419", human trafficking, armed robbery and political instability, security personnel needed to improve upon their training in tactical, technical and intelligence abilities to have the capacity to analyse and fight or deal with crime.