Inspector-General of Police James Oppong-Boanuh has stated that the Ghana Police Service has enhanced its counselling department to deal with the increasing rate of suicide amongst police personnel.
The move forms part of measures adopted by the Police at the 2021 National Police Command Conference.
As part of the strategy, the IGP said the service would prioritise the welfare needs of personnel to ensure that they were motivated to work efficiently.
He explained that the Service would strengthen its Counselling Unit to cater for the physical and psychological needs of personnel.
“I will urge you (commanders) to make priority choices that will ensure the wellness and safety of personnel, their development, professional standards and accountability and reliance on community and scientific intelligence-led policing.
“I am confident that when policemen are provided with the needed resources, they will be happy to do their work. We also appreciate the government’s effort at providing us with the necessary logistics, such as vehicles and equipment,” Mr Oppong-Boanuh added.
“We need to adopt a comprehensive approach which will move us away from supply-driven to demand-driven policing. We, therefore, need to collaborate with members of the community and other stakeholders, such as agencies of the criminal justice system, the private sector and civil society, to deepen intelligence collaboration,” he added.
Data available shows that three policemen committed suicide in a spate of two weeks in the early part of this year.
They were: Superintendent Cyprian Zenge, January 30; Constable Eugene Yelnon, February 1, and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Divine Asiam, February 14.
The conference was on the theme: “The role of leadership in preventing violent crimes and promoting community safety”.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
