Digital policing: The future of Ghana Police Service

The Police Service is a government-run organization tasked with maintaining law and order as well as preserving the country’s stability and security.

Interestingly, they work to ensure that we can all go about our daily activities in peace whilst still safeguarding lives and properties.

It is not for nothing, to see police officers in uniforms whereas muftis are worn by members of the detective department. The Police Officers in Ghana wear berets and black or blue camouflage uniforms.

The Ghana Police Service like many other public institutions was founded by the British in 1894 to ensure the country’s law and order was maintained professionally. The Police Officers at that time were assigned to one of two ranks: senior or subordinate.

The use of information technology to maintain law and order as well as protect people and properties is largely changing how the future of our Ghana police service would look like.

Today, the Ghana Police Service employs a variety of technologies in their daily activities. They interact and exchange information with each other through walkie talkies. At the Police Headquarters and many other divisional headquarters, officers process data and communicate with one another using computers and networking devices.

The Ghana Police today have an interactive website, www. Police.gov.gh that allows the public to search for police information and resources. The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) maintains a database of offenders that allow them to monitor recent criminal activity. Global Positioning System (GPS) is also been used by the police effectively to track suspects and collect information about their activities.

To document their jobs, some police officers wear cameras on their uniforms and helmets. The videos are sent to senior officers to assist in the apprehension and investigation of criminals.

Among the many progress by the Ghana Police Service, the future of protecting lives and properties is hidden in digital policing. The Police must use more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to gather information for their work at all public locations such as banks, traffic lights on the highways and various junctions leading to specific areas in town.

The Ghana Police Service sincerely needs improvement in response time; the police must be able to respond to crime more quickly. To assist the police officers in responding quickly to crime calls, an in-vehicle GPS mobile application with search mapping and geotagging features could be created.

Our cherished forces also need to improve online access and the first contact, to receive and transmit information to the public, we can use social media and dedicated shortcodes. The key to modern police work is information, as results, digital policing will go a long way toward assisting the ineffective fight against crimes.