By Anthony Adongo Apubeo, GNA
Bolgatanga, Aug. 11, GNA – Security agencies have been urged to strengthen their relationships and collaboration with communities, relevant stakeholders, and among themselves to enhance information sharing to effectively combat crime and emerging security threats. security management could not be achieved by security agencies working in isolation.
Commissioner of Police (COP) Mrs Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, Technical Adviser to the Minister of the Interior, Mr Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, said effective policing and
She said trust among security agencies and between the public was critical to ensuring the timely flow of information needed to prevent crime and maintain peace and stability.
COP Addo-Danquah made the call in Bolgatanga on Tuesday at the opening of a three-day training programme for security agencies in the Upper East Region and some relevant stakeholders of the public.
The training dubbed: “Strengthening Inter-Agency Law Enforcement at REGSEC and Community Levels,” brought together representatives of security agencies, Regional and District Security Councils, traditional authorities, political parties, civil society organisations, the media, youth groups, the Peace Council and other community stakeholders.
The training sought to equip the participants with practical ways of improving information sharing, strengthening inter-agency cooperation and deepening community engagement.
The training formed part of a pilot project being implemented by the Ministry of the Interior with funding support from the Government of Denmark through the European Union under its Security and Defence Initiative, aimed at strengthening collaboration among security agencies, regional and district security councils and communities.
COP Addo-Danquah said the changing security landscape especially across Africa required security agencies, traditional authorities, political actors, civil society organisations, the media, youth leaders and communities to work together.
“Security today is defined by relationships. Relationships that are built on transparency, respect and sustained engagement,” she said.
COP Addo-Danquah urged participants to use the training to establish networks that would continue beyond the programme, stressing that information that might appear insignificant to one person could help prevent crime or build peace when shared with the appropriate authorities.
She said the programme was a pilot initiative and the experiences and recommendations gathered would inform similar training programmes to be replicated in other regions and at the district level.
Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, said the Upper East Region’s position as a border region made collaboration between security agencies and the public particularly important, given its exposure to potential spillovers from instability and criminality in the Sahel.
The Minister identified chieftaincy and land disputes, transnational organised crime, irregular migration, cross-border criminality, violent extremism, trafficking, misinformation and disinformation, as well as the security implications of climate change, resource scarcity and human mobility as emerging challenges.
He said security agencies must strengthen information sharing, joint planning, coordinated operations and intelligence-led interventions to effectively address such threats.
“Peace is not a destination; it is a continuous process. It must be nurtured through sustained dialogue, responsive institutions, social cohesion and inclusive governance,” he said.
He called on participants to translate the knowledge and skills acquired from the training into stronger coordination mechanisms, improved information sharing and more effective community engagement.
DCOP John Ferguson Dzineku, the Upper East Regional Police Commander, said the Ghana Police Service had recorded significant progress in tackling armed robbery and criminal gangs in the region through intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other security agencies.
“Policing is not done to the people, but is done with the people. Without trust, information does not flow. And without information, we cannot fight crime,” he said.
Mr Jonas Claes, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Ghana, said the workshop was intended to build stronger collaboration, coordination and trust among law enforcement agencies and the communities they served.
He said Ghana’s location within a volatile West African region made conflict prevention particularly important to preserving the country’s peace, adding that the EU had increasingly become a security and political partner to Ghana and had provided significant support to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
He said the EU had supported more than 30 projects and provided equipment and training as part of its security and defence cooperation with Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
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