The Police Administration has begun the implementation of a three-shift District and Station command system for 24-hour coverage in all Police Commands across the country.

This is to ensure effective supervision, command and control at all Police facilities, especially during the night, when most crimes are committed and the services of commanders are needed most to respond adequately.

In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare said, the new system formed part of the revised transformation agenda of the Service and in line with international best practices as adopted by the United Nations (UN) and other advanced countries.

Until the introduction of the three-shift system, each Police District and Station was under the supervision and control of one district commander and a station officer respectively, for 24 hours a day.

“This practice, as observed, brought a lot of pressure to the officers who were unable to stay at post effectively throughout the 24 hours, most notably at night.

“As a result supervision, command and control virtually came to a halt anytime these commanders were unavailable at the post, a situation which gravely affected effective work delivery, much to the displeasure of the public,” he said.

According to the IGP, this equally had adverse implications for the health of commanders and created situations where commanders become strangers in their own homes due to their inability to have quality time with their families.

Under the three-shift system, he said, a team of three district commanders and three station officers are to run their respective districts and stations, with the most senior among the three district commanders and the most senior station officer acting as the supervising district and station officer accordingly.

“This way, the demand and workload at the various command levels will be lessened a bit, making commanders more effective as a result,” the IGP explained.

Dr. Dampare said the implementation of the first phase of the three-shift system began with the Station officers at the various Police Regional capitals across the country, where they run an eight-hour shift within 24 hours daily.

The second phase which entails the implementation of the system at the District commands has also been rolled out in all Police Regional capitals across the country.

“The Police Administration expects to fully implement the system at all levels of the Police command in the country, including the National Police Headquarters and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)Headquarters to enhance quality service delivery and customer satisfaction for improved public confidence and trust in the Police Service,” he said.