A Concept Paper on Police Training Practices in Ghana: Sharing Knowledge to Benefit Novice Researchers

Abstract

In Ghana and many countries in Africa and beyond, many researchers in various research institutions including some police training institutions are less familiar with police training practices because of the scanty information available on this subject. This paper therefore aims at providing novice researchers with a starting point in becoming more informed when it comes to police training practices. This literature is shared with the aim of providing a basic understanding when it comes to police and their training practices in Ghana. This paper looked at areas like the history of policing, the concept of training, police training practices, philosophy informing police training programme, scope of training in the Ghana Police training academies, efficacy of training, role of policing in Ghana, training methods in the Ghana Police Service and the challenges facing police training academies. Methodologically, the National Police Training School, the Ghana Police Academy and the Winneba Police Command and Staff College were the focus of this paper by providing secondary data to furnish this paper. Also, based on observational evidence at the police training schools, researchers had enough literature to support scholarly evidence. It has been revealed from the review that the most effective teaching and learning method that is used by the police training academies is classroom instruction which is solely delivered in English Language as the medium of instruction [1]. It has also been deduced that lecture method had the largest impact on trainees learning. Also, it was observed that most of the trainees took within 6-8 months to complete their training programme. Finally, it was clear that lack of proper equipment/ logistics, lack of infrastructure, inadequate number of instructors, lack of motivation of instructors, interference in the recruitment process from top-level management, low level of technology, and poor maintenance culture were identified as the major challenges faced by the police training academies. Based on these challenges identified and listed, researchers recommend that Government and other stakeholders of the police service must help to provide good training facilities, infrastructure and enough funds to support quality training delivery. Also, the stakeholders must help to minimize the rate of political interference during the recruits’ selection processes with the help of parliament enacting a law or devising a code of conduct. In addition, it is recommended by the researchers that the Government, in collaboration with the Ghana police administration, and the Ministry of Interior must improve upon the level of motivation and salary packages of the police service to make it more interesting and attractive to the youth which will in turn keep them in the police force to help maintain law and order in the country and to lift up the moral standards in the Ghana Police Service. The paper also recommends that more instructors should be recruited in order to balance the teacher-student ratio and improve the quality of teaching delivery in the training academies. Lastly, researchers recommend that the government in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior through the police administration should establish a progressive capacity building programmes for officers and trainees to acquire new skills and effective ways of enforcing law and order and to be abreast with changing environment in order to empower the police agencies to properly use the computer and other forms of technology in their daily operations.