President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Ghana Police Service to work on its reputation to diffuse the negative perception the public has about the law-enforcement body.

“Mr Speaker, the government is committed to improving the conditions of service of all security personnel including the police. Nevertheless, I think it is my duty also to point out that public perception of the police continues not to be the best and we must make a comprehensive effort to earn the confidence of the public”, he told Parliament in his fourth State of the Nation Address on Thursday, 20 February 2020.

“We cannot run a country of law and order without the well-trained and accomplished police service that has the respect and confidence of the people. I acknowledge the work they do but I will urge them to work harder on their reputation,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Perceived corruption among personnel of the Ghana Police Service is still the highest among public institutions, according to a 2019 Afrobarometre survey of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD).

It indicated that 57 per cent of Ghanaians think the police is corrupt most or all of the time while 32 per cent think they are corrupt some of the time.

The President noted in his speech that the security agencies in the country have been well-resourced to enhance the performance of their duties.

“We’ve spent a lot of money to ensure that the security agencies that are charged with maintaining law and order, in keeping us safe, are well-resourced to enable them perform their duties. Police numbers have been increased and we will increase further until we meet the recommended ratio. The police have been provided with more vehicles and equipment than they’ve ever had, including over 600 vehicles and three incoming helicopters. There are now more opportunities for police officers to undergo training on the job to make them better-prepared for work in our communities and keep us safe.”

He also pledged government’s commitment to provide the police service with modern policing methods to enable them combat crime.

“The government will continue to work with the management of the police service to ensure there is proper and adequate training, modern policing methods and the equipping of the service trainees to enable them deal with crime”.