Inadequate 6-months training producing unprofessional police officers – Police Operations Chief

The Eastern Regional Operations Commander of the Ghana Police Service, has called on the government to reform the Police Service to pave the way for the professional training of qualified persons into the service.

According to DSP Kartey Otumi, the six months training received by police recruits is not enough to  ensure professionalism and discipline.

He also stressed to Citi News that the content of police training must also change.

“A policeman must be a driver; a policeman must be computer literate, a policeman must know how to swim. We don’t do all these things,” DSP Kartey said.

“Me my training it was more sweeping, more fatigue, little learning and I became a police officer.”

DSP Kartey’s comments come after government recommended the interdiction of 21 police officers over the killing of seven men at Asawase.

A Police constable at a duty checkpoint at the Moree tollbooth in the Central Region, also made headlines after he shockingly fired into a vehicle because the driver was said to have refused to pay a road toll of 50 pesewas.

DSP Kartey called on the government to institute a three-year police training system.

“You recruit people for six months and they come; they are coming to learn from we the old rotten hands who are already corrupt. But if you should say you are doing reforms and now people are recruited; they undergo three-years training, when they come out, they will make sure they see themselves different from you the old police and that is where the change can actually take place.”

DSP Kartey also complained that some officers become rusty after being deployed for bank guard duties for too long.

“If one continues to go on bank guard duties for ten years he or she becomes rusty and rotten, and ceases to be a professional police officer because you do not learn anything there and automatically you will become unprofessional, but those who are lucky to be posted to the administration or the CID learn a lot there.”

There’s a growing concern about unprofessional conducts among many police officers in the country as a lot of them are either taking bribe or manhandling citizens in their line of work.

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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku | citinewsroom.com | Ghana