Ghana Police Service

Ghana Police Service
Common name Ghana Police Service
Abbreviation GPS
Ghana Police Service patch depicting the service logo
Logo of the Ghana Police Service
Shield of the Ghana Police Service
Motto Service With Integrity
Agency overview
Formed 1894
Preceding agencies
  • 1894 – 1957: known as the Gold Coast Police Service
  • 1957 – known as the Ghana Police Service
Employees 32,684 (30 June 2011)
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agency Republic of Ghana
Map of Ghana Police Service's jurisdiction.
Size 92,098 square miles (238,530 km2)
Population 24,233,431
Governing body Government of Ghana
Constituting instruments
  • Police Act 1904
  • Police Act 1960
  • Police Act 1970
  • Policing Act 1992
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Sworn members 23,684 (30 June 2011)
Unsworn members 9,000 (30 June 2011)
Minister responsible William Kwasi Aboah, Minister of Police
Agency executive Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, Inspector General of Police
Units
Regions
Facilities
Stations 651+
Website
www.police.gov.gh
Footnotes
[1]

The Ghana Police Service (GPS) is the main law enforcement agency of Ghana. The service is under the control of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior,[2] and employs over 30,000 officers across its 651 stations.

Mission statement

The service was established to perform the following functions:[2]

  1. the detection of crime;
  2. the apprehension of offenders;
  3. the maintenance of law and order;
  4. the maintenance of internal peace and security.

In order to perform these functions, it is the stated mission of the police to:

  1. ensure operational readiness;
  2. make available trained police personnel for deployment at all times throughout the country.

Organisational structure

The Ghana Police Service operates in twelve divisions: ten covering the ten regions of Ghana, one assigned specifically to the seaport and industrial hub of Tema, and the twelfth being the Railways, Ports and Harbours Division.[3] An additional division, the Marine Police Unit, exists to handle issues that arise from the country's offshore oil and gas industry.[3]

The current head of the Ghana Police Service is Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan.[1] For each of the regional police divisions, there is a Regional Commander who is in charge of all operational and administrative functions under his jurisdiction. In direct operational matters, the Regional Commander furthermore works in tandem with the Regional Operational Commander. For administrative functions, the Regional Commander is assisted by the Deputy Regional Commander and the Regional Crime Officer. The Deputy Inspector-General of Police is assisted by the Director-General of the Police Administration, and supervises the activities of the regional commanders of police.[3]

Regional divisions

Apart from the National Police Headquarters, all the regional divisions have subdivisions under them.[3] The aim of this is to decentralize the activities of the regional police force for more effective and flexible policing. Each regional command is divided into divisional commands. The various divisional commands are headed by Divisional Commanders, who are in charge of the district commands under them. The individual district commands are, in turn, headed by District Commanders. The District Commanders have direct control and supervisory responsibilities over all police stations and posts under their jurisdiction.

The twelve regional divisions exercise oversight responsibilities over 51 divisions, which have 179 district divisions under them. The districts have jurisdiction over a national total of 651 police stations.[3]

Special units

There are, furthermore, specialized police units in all the regional divisions. The Regional Commander has oversight over these units. These units include:[3]

  1. Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD)
  2. Highway Patrol Unit (HPU)
  3. Public Affairs Directorate (PAD)
  4. Courts and Prosecution
  5. Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU)
  6. Rapid Deployment Force (RDF)
  7. National Protection Unit (NPU)
  8. Arms and Ammunition
  9. Finance Offices
  10. Audit Offices
  11. Crime Offices
  12. Research, Planning & ICT Offices
  13. Serious Fraud Unit (SFU)
  14. Ghana Crime Unit

Marine Police Unit

In April 2011, the Ghana Police Service set up a special Marine Police Unit (MPU).[4] The unit has amongst its duties policing operations related to the country's oil and gas industry,[3] and the handling of offenses contained in the Fisheries Act 2002 and Fisheries Regulations 2011.

The Marine Unit was inaugurated in Takoradi on 21 June 2013 by Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. The unit operates two 9-meter patrol boats (P1 & P2) and four 6.3-meter rigid inflatable boats (P3, P4, P5 & P6).[5]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Police Service gets new IGP". Joy Online. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Ghana Police Service". MINT.gov.gh. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "POLICE ADMINISTRATION". GhanaPolice.info. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Ghana Police Service sets up Marine Police Unit". ModernGhana.com. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Marine Police Unit re-launched in Takoradi". ModernGhana.com. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013.