The Inspector General of Police (IGP) David Asante-Apeatu believes setting the minimum educational requirement for entry into the Ghana Police Service at undergraduate degree (also called first degree) would improve the standard of policing in the country.
Currently, the minimum requirement for entering the Police Service is a West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) certificate but the IGP is sure that the service will witness a ‘huge change’ if the minimum educational standards are raised.
The IGP revealed that recruiting better-educated officers are part of measures being discussed to improve a perceived lack of professionalism and combat recent challenges bedevilling the police service.
The Police are facing public backlash after certain incidents of alleged excessive force involving its officers including an assault on a customer at the premises of a financial institution, the shooting of a bullion van driver at Krobo Odumase and the shooting of seven alleged masked armed robbers at Manso Nkwanta.
“It is for us to maybe start being proactive and make sure we do things differently and embrace the community policing concept,” the IGP said in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM.
“First of all, I think in our transformation agenda we have listed certain things that we think we must revamp. Training, training and re-training of our officers constantly on the job and we must also… The bad apples must be fired because they are dangerous. Imagine we had four-year degree holders only in the Police service, won’t this service change? It will, definitely going to be a huge change in the service. So, for me even if we raise the bar higher for intake of Policemen, I think it is also going to help us.
“We’ve been talking about it, it didn’t use to be SHS (Senior High School) some time ago JHS (Junior High School) but I think it will be proper for us to keep raising the bar higher”.
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