In line with that, a workshop has been held with support of the Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) for 30 police officers representing various departments of the service.

They included Police Training Schools, the Criminal Investigations Department, the Community Policing Unit, the Police Professional and Standards Bureau (PPSB) and other communication specialists attached to ARAP.

Strategy

The Director General of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr David Eklu, indicated that the strategy would lead to the inclusion of the reputation management and communication skills on the curriculum of police training schools.

He added that the strategy would further enhance the in-service training programmes as an integral part of police operations to enable the police to effectively communicate with the external publics and strategic stakeholders in promoting good democratic policing practices.

To further enhance the communication strategy of the Police Administration, Mr Eklu said a police media relations policy had been developed and would soon be finalised as part of the police service instructions.

Expert

A communication expert from ARAP, Mr Riccardo D’Emidio, took the participants through mechanisms to improve internal and external communications of the Police Service.

He emphasised the importance of communication and public education in enhancing accountability and adherence to the rule of law by the Police Service and other public service institutions.

Mr D’Emidio gave an assurance that ARAP would continue to support critical units of the police service to help it to achieve its transformation agenda.

Gaps

The workshop identified the various communication needs within the various units of the service and outlined achievable strategies to enhance communication and professionalism within the police service.

The participants recognised the critical role of social media as a tool for effective police engagement.

Realistic work plans to improve both internal and external communication were also developed to enrich the communication strategy, which aims among others measures, to resolve communication bottlenecks which are critical in the ongoing Ghana Police Transformation Agenda to reflect international best practices of professionalism, fight against corruption and promote respect for human rights and democracy.