Two hundred and twenty police recruits passed out of the Police Training School at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region on Friday.

Addressing the recruits, Commissioner of Police (COP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, in charge of Human Resource Development, reminded them that policing was not an easy task and they were bound to face complex challenges in the course of discharging their duties.

He said, ”These will require the application of the knowledge you have acquired during training as well as the exercise of good discretion. It is our hope that you will apply knowledge positively under any given situation and at any given time.”

COP Alhaji Mahama explained that, considering the central role a professionally competent workforce plays in the achievement of corporate objectives, the Police Administration was implementing human resource improvement strategies that would help build the capacity of all personnel.

“In this direction, the Administration has undertaken various policy interventions in the area of reforms and restructuring with the view to improving the skills, competencies and professionalism of personnel. Apart from the basic training curriculum which witnessed a revision to include French and ICT training, you will be privileged to attend many courses within the service to enhance your academic and professional competences,” COP Alhaji Mahama said.

He said that under the five-year Strategic National Policing Plan, the Police Administration was focused on enhancing the maintenance of law and order and the protection of life and property.

COP Alhaji Mahama mentioned the intensification of the day and night patrols, the improvement of intelligence gathering, initiation of effective investigation mechanisms for crime detection and crime prevention, increased traffic management activities and partnering with all stakeholders among others as some of the adopted strategies in the fight against crimes.

He appealed to the public to cooperate with the police to enable them to achieve their vision of crime prevention, and stressed that without the support of the public, the Police Administration could only achieve little.

COP Alhaji Mahama commended PW/Recruit Lydia Odarkor Lamptey for emerging the best recruit, and advised her to consider her achievement as a platform to strive for greater success.

The best recruit in academic work was PW/Recruit, Clarissa Senghor, the best recruit in conduct was GW/Recruit Dzokoto Kenny, the best recruit in drill was PW/Recruit Hawa Yakubu and the best recruit in marksman was G/Recruit Nagre Issaka.

Other recruits who distinguished themselves in various areas during the training were also awarded.**