SHORTCOMINGS OF POLICE OFFICERS WON'T BE TOLERATED (D/G Saturday, September 13, 2008. PAGE 23)

THE Police Administration has warned that it would not tolerate any shortcomings by police officers that would tarnish the good image of the service.
The former Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, who is now in charge of the Northern Region with oversight responsibilities for the Upper East and West regions, gave the warning when reviewing a passing-out parade of 133 police recruits at Pwalugu.
"We live in a world of mass indiscipline and the society expects us to have strength, skills, experience and courage to deal with this menace in our protection of life and property, prevention of lawlessness and apprehension of those who break the law, no matter how desperate and dangerous the criminal or situation may be," he stressed.
The recruits underwent six months training at the Pwalugu Police Training School where they studied criminal investigation, criminal law, law of evidence, professional police ethics, English language and report writing.
Mr Gyeabour told the recruits that much was expected of them as there was a lot of work and challenges for the police, stressing that they should be ready for all kinds of emergencies and carry out their duties strictly and within the law.
He noted that the service was a challenging one, with many temptations and public criticisms and as such, the recruits needed to stand firm and be honest in their decisions and judgement of situations that would confront them from time to time.
"You must win and sustain public confidence, which is vital to policing and intelligence gathering that cannot be achieved easily. You are passing out in an election year and your ability to make right
judgement devoid of bias and favouritism to any political party would help to enhance the image of the service and give credence to your level of professionalism," he cautioned.
DCOP Gyeabour commended the Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region for assisting the Police Administration in addressing the acute accommodation problems facing the police in the region, stressing that it was a demonstration that the welfare of the police personnel was of
great concern to the good people of the region.
Three recruits were awarded for their hard work. General Recruit James Owusu Sarpong was adjudged the overall best recruit while Justina Quansah stood out in academics with the best in drill award going to Daniel Akakpo.