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Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Peter Toobu has entreated all police personnel to collectively galvanise and redirect their efforts towards making the Ghana Police Service (GPS) the best in Africa.

DSP Toobu said the Ghana Police Service in its many years of existence had been struggling to live up to expectation and be relevant in the society, to become a world class and best Police Service in Africa.  

He said Mr David Asante-Apeatu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had a clearly defined direction aimed at making the Service the best in Africa, and among the best ten in the world as he trusts the competence of his officers to help him achieve his transformational agenda.

DSP Toobu was speaking at a day’s sensitisation workshop in Bolgatanga for Senior Police Officers organised by Hanns Seidal Foundation (HSF) in partnership with the GPS in support of the Service’s transformational programme.   

According to DSP Toobu who is also the Executive Secretary to the IGP, the police could not transform without a mental transformation and a collective change of mind that would give the service a new face, hence the quest to transform the minds of police officers, and the Ghanaian people so that collectively they could operate in a system called policing by consent because they needed the consent of the general public to enable them do a good job.

 He said they were therefore involving everybody, by touring the whole country to sensitise police officers that the leadership requirement of the GPS was so huge that the IGP needed the support of all the personnel to be able to transform the Service to the admiration of all Ghanaians.

He said the Transformation Office was established as part of measures the IGP was putting in place to achieve his objective of transforming the Service adding that it had attracted a lot of support and excitement among civil society groups within the International Community.

 He said the Ghanaian Police was seen to be very professional on the international front, whereas the system in the country did not seem to appreciate them even though they were among the best.

Madam Aridja Frank, the Regional Programme Coordinator of HSF, said the focus of the programme was to make the Ghana Police friendly to citizens, “we want to improve on the relationship between citizens and the police.”

She said the civilian population outnumbered police officials which called for civilian support to help achieve their goals, and urged the general public to contribute towards their own security and not leave everything to the police.  

She said it was a four-year programme involving six countries namely; Ghana, Benin, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.