Established since 1894, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has been and is still the principal law enforcement and criminal justice agency of the Republic of Ghana. It is one of the government agencies under the Ministry of Interior.
Among the major functions of the GPS are the protection of life and property, prevention, detection and investigation of crime, arrest, detention, and prosecution of suspected criminals, and maintenance of public order.
It really feels good to note that the Ghana Police Service is currently listed as one of the best in Africa. They are however, not satisfied with that as the Service is diligently working towards becoming the best in the world in few years to come.
The headquarters of the Ghana Police Service is located in Accra and headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), currently David Asante-Apeatu (since February, 2017). Following the IGP in hierarchy are the Deputy Inspector-General and the Director General of Police who assist in supervising the operations of the entire Service across the nation.
With a staff strength of over 30,000, the GPS is carefully structured in a way that facilitates efficient delivery across the entire country. It is broadly made up of 12 regional divisions comprising the ten regions of Ghana, the Tema Seaport and Industrial region and the Railways & Ports region.
To promote the efficiency of its operations and delivery, the Ghana Police Service is further classified into 10 Departments in each of its Regional Divisions. These include:
The regions are further divided into 51 divisions, 179 Districts and 651 stations. Every region, division, district and station boast tons of police officers in their various ranks who are assigned to specific duties and locations at every point in time.
Each of the 10 Regional Divisions is headed by a Regional Commander who oversees the affairs of all of the above special units as well as the divisions and stations under its jurisdiction. The Regional Commander also works with the Regional Operational Commander and the Deputy Regional Commander to carry out operational and administrative duties respectively.
Based on the provisions of the constitution, the Ghana Police Service operates on democratic policing principles. The Service is therefore mandated to be open to complaints and reports from one and all 24 hours of everyday.
While it is generally advised to contact the police whenever there is a threat to life and/or property, here are some of the specific situations that call for the GPS to be alerted:
* Mob attack and other forms of physical assault
In emergency situations, call 191 (Toll free for all Networks) or 18555 (Vodafone/MTN Toll free). Make sure you know your location when calling in emergency situations as this is paramount or rather indispensable for a quick police rescue response. Also endeavour to provide other necessary information required of you and follow given instructions religiously.
But for other non-emergency reports or complaints, call +233 302 776672 or go to the police station nearest to your location.
In case there is need to contact the IGP or the GPS, you can do so via any of the following contact details:
You can also submit your complaint(s) online via this link www.police.gov.gh/get-in-touch
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