Corrupt police officers would be dealt with – COP Agblor

The Director - General of Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Commissioner of Police (COP) Prosper Kwame Agblor, has warned police officers against engaging in criminal activities.

He said the Police Administration would not shield officers found to have indulged in any criminal activities, but deal with them as the law required.

COP Agblor, who was addressing the closing ceremony of a two-week Basic Detective Training Programme for the Eastern Regional Personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), at Koforidua, therefore, urged them to be of good behavior and lead exemplary lifestyles.

The programme trained 203 CID officers in the region to be proactive; exhibit professionalism at all times; to uphold integrity, and to respect divergent public and individual opinions.

The course covered Basic Investigation Skills; Interrogation and Interviews; Identification Methods; aspects of Criminal Law, Report Writing and Communication Skills; Making Arrests; Detention and Searches; Preparation of Dockets; Surveillance ; Human Rights; and Crime Scene Management.

COP Agblor said the course content was carefully put together to combat the current trends in crime as criminals were daily becoming more sophisticated in their modus operandi.

COP Agblor advised the participants to guide their conduct with professionalism because when police duties are carried out unprofessionally they may trigger agitations from community members.

He said police detectives should not to sit in their offices and undertake investigations but move to the field and meet with witnesses to collect information and evidence.

COP Agblor said so far the Police Administration had trained 1,416 detectives to prepare them to meet the modern challenges in the investigation of contemporary crime.

He, however, called for support from the public to fight crime because the Police could not be successful without their support.

Chief Superintendent Fakye Kumi, the Eastern Regional Crime Officer, asked the participants to use their newly acquired expertise to help control chieftaincy disputes; galamsey operations; and the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the Afram Plains and other parts of the region.

Chief Superintendant Fakye Kumi said following the proactive measures put in place by the Regional Police Command, robbery, activities across the region had reduced drastically, thereby, giving members of the public the opportunity to go about their daily duties peacefully.

The Eastern Regional Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Yaagy Akuribah, asked the participants to serve with commitment but should neither harass victims nor take bribes.

He encouraged them to consult their colleagues and law books when they encounter challenges during investigations.