Underfunded And Undervalued Ghana Police Service

The recent attack on the police at Kwabenya district shows the danger the policemen in our country face.

Currently, policing in Ghana is a dangerous job. A job where each day could be one’s last day on earth. It is a well -known fact, that Ghanaian police are not well paid or trained, therefore it’s not surprising that the police in Ghana are asking for bribes from the innocent Ghanaians and tourists they are supposed to protect to supplement their meagre pay.

Many police stations are severely ill equipped to face the challenges of present day Ghana. A typical example are the police checkpoints manning local barriers looking out for smuggling and influxes of immigrants. Some do not even have toilets and basic amenities. In many countries they are using integrated tactics to combat crimes and working with trained sniffer dogs, community intelligence, other forms of intelligence.

In Ghana one can easily spot a police service personal going to work in a Trotro with the public, because it is the cheapest form of transport. This is very embarrassing. How could we expect so much from the police yet there is no system in place to allow shuttle bus service for them. In more developed nations the police always have their own form of transport.

In Ghana, MPs and many Government officials can be seen driving in their 4 by 4 government funded vehicles with free fuel. Even the wife of a former President could afford to give away a state funded vehicle to John Dumelo as a gift. This is ridiculous and unthinkable. Sadly, this incident does happen in Ghana. Indeed, the police in Ghana are undervalued and underfunded and this is a matter of grave concern. If we want to get serious with tourism, then this area must be addressed without fail so that we feel public safety concerns are taken seriously.

Let’s get our priorities straight here.
The police need more training, better investment and more security for themselves. It is shameful that police can be killed inside a police station and the killers can get away with it.