The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has graduated 43 police officers in Police Pre-Deployment Training (PPDT) and Collaborative Policing Courses to strengthen local ownership and build their capacity.

Of the total number, 27 who took part in the Collaborative Policing Course were made up of 15 Ghanaians, seven Sierra Leoneans and five Nigerians.

For the PPDT, which was purely for Ghanaian Police Officers, had 16 officers; consisting 10 men and six women.

The two-week courses were jointly organised by KAIPTC and sponsored by the German Government.

Mr Ruben Schwarz, the Attache of Political and Protocol Section, Development Cooperation, Germany Embassy, said the courses were of particular importance to the German side, as they were striving to ensure the financial sustainability of the Centre, adding that it would also take Ghana a step ahead into the future.

He said the trainings would foster the establishment of personal and professional relationships among security forces and experts.

He urged participants to be encouraged to continue working together to achieve the common long term goals of those courses.

Mr David Asante-Appeatu, the Inspector-General of Police, in a speech read on his behalf, said: “Cutting-edge performance in law enforcement and peace operations can only be guaranteed through training and retraining to sharpen the skills and reflexes of officers.”

He said the two courses were definitely going to make an impact not just within the local police context but beyond.

“The professionalism of law enforcement agencies in West Africa will benefit from the fresh ideas that participants have learned,” he said.

Mr Asante-Appeatu said: “It is the hope of the Ghana Police Service that as we get to a stage where PPDTs will be locally handled and resources will be skewed towards emerging needs to enable us to maintain the desired quality. We hope that funding for these courses will not cease entirely”.

Mr Alexander Adzabaku Amenyah, Commissioner of Police, a participant in the Collaborative Police Course and Superintendent Elisabeth Viney, a participant in the PPDT Course, expressed gratitude to the KAIPTC and the courses instructors for the knowledge imparted.

Mr Andreas Mutschke, a German Police Officer, and the Course Director of Collaborative Policing, expressed the hope that through collaboration with the German Government, personnel of the Ghana Police Service would become a model example for the rest of the ECOWAS sub-region to emulate.

In attendance was Air Vice Marshal Griffiths Evans, the Commandant of KAIPTC.