Peacekeeping Documentation centre commission

Accra, Nov. 23, GNA - A Peacekeeping Documentation Centre for the Ghana Police Service was on Thursday inaugurated by Foreign Minister

Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in Accra. The centre located at the Police headquarters would serve as a data collation point on all police international peacekeeping operations. Nana Akuffo-Addo said the centre would enhance the capacity of the

police in peacekeeping activities throughout the world. He said the fact that the sub region was engulfed in various civil strife meant there was the need to properly prepare personnel who may be sent on peacekeeping missions. The Foreign Minister said the Police Service had over the years proven to be highly professional in various mission, giving the nation a

big credit. He noted that the centre would not only serve personnel of the Police in Ghana but the whole sub region. The Foreign Minister commended the Canadian government for the support for the country's developmental efforts and also the Pearson Peacekeeping centre for assisting to establish the centre. Mr. Patrick Kwateng Acheampong, Inspector General of Police said the centre would also serve as a resource centre with a well equipped library for use by academicians, students and researchers who were interested in matters relating to international peace keeping operations.

He stated that the facilities would be made available to personnel of other security agencies to be tasked with any pre-deployment peace operations.

Mr. Acheampong said peacekeeping operations had assumed a more complex face of which operational and administrative structures should assume greater stature, hence the establishment of the International Relations Department of the service in April last year. He recalled that the Service started peacekeeping duties in the 1960 with 30 officers in the Congo and that currently about 3,500 officers had taken part in various peacekeeping missions. He disclosed that women constitute 25 per cent of the total Police participation in peacekeeping activities, the highest in the whole world.

Ms Suzanne Monoghan, President of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre (PPC) said though Ghanaian peacekeepers did well, they lacked certain expertise of which the centre would seek to address such as computer literacy and language skills.