Uphold professional standards to build trust with citizens – IGP urges officers

The high command of the Ghana Police Service has resolved to intensify efforts aimed at improving professional standards in the service.

According to the Inspector General of Police James Oppong-Boanuh, officer misconduct is one of the leading causes of mistrust and dwindling public confidence in the service.

James Oppong-Boanuh, who made the remarks at the 2021 National Police Command Conference, said police officers must promote community safety and work to ensure that every citizen feels safe so as to improve confidence in the service.

“The public has shown some concern and in some cases, they do not trust us. In some situations, they do not have confidence in us and in some cases, we have lost legitimacy. We have to promote community safety and ensure that every citizen feels safe. We need to be resolute in the discharge of our mandate, we need to be proactive and we need to be professional.”

Ghana’s police service has also been faulted consistently for being corrupt according to Afrobarometer’s Corruption Perception Index.

In the report, the Ghana Police Service came up as the institution that the largest number of citizens complained about bribing in their quest to access their services.

Among those who had contact with key public services during the previous year, four in 10 say they paid a bribe to avoid problems with the police or to obtain police assistance in 2019.