Accra, April 25, GNA - A one-month intensive training course in basic crime investigations, sex crime and media relations for police personnel opened in Accra on Tuesday with a call on the police to be vigilant in their work.

Mr Peter Nanfuri, Inspector General of Police, noted that the emergence of cross-border crimes and international criminal acts, such as child trafficking, hijacking, terrorism, currency and drug trafficking, have seriously engaged the attention of the International Police community.

This phenomenon, he said, underlines the need for more cooperation between the police of all countries. About 118 detectives drawn from Criminal Investigations Department (CID), instructors at the Police Training Unit, prosecutors from the Court Unit and personnel from the Women and Juvenile Unit, the Striking Force and Panther Unit are attending.

Participants will be taken through topics, such as documentation of crime scenes, protection and searching of crime scenes, tracing evidence, fingerprints and the identification and collection of latent prints, tool marks and firearms.

The course, which is second in the series, is organised by the United States International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Programme (ICITAP), an American Governmental Agency.

Mr Nanfuri said the new millennium has brought about in its fold many formidable challenges for the police forces all over the world and Ghana is not exempted. He recalled that at a recent West African Chief of Police Committee Conference (WAPCC) held at the INTERPOL sub-region Bureau in Abuja, Nigeria, they re-affirmed the need for member-states to work together towards joint bilateral, multilateral or simultaneous operation activities aimed at combating all forms of crime in the sub-region and the world at large.

"It is hoped that the Ghana Police Service and other countries will cooperate in the co-ordination of the police to achieve the desired objectives outlined at the conference."

Mr Nanfuri thanked ICITAP for their support and said "it our fervent hope that the assistance will be sustained and perhaps diversified into other areas of bilateral police cooperation and strengthen the warm relationship between Ghana and the United States".

Mr. Patrick T. Mac Ginnis, Course coordinator, said ICITAP has organised a number of courses in countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Caribbean and urged the participants to make good use of the training programmes.