By Philip Tengzu
Wa (UW/R), Oct. 15, GNA – The Upper West Regional Police Command, in partnership with the Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM), has held a community policing validation workshop following the training of police officers in the region on community policing principles.
A total of 90 police officers from the Sissala West, Wa West and Lambussie Districts in the Upper West Region were trained in community policing in April 2026, aimed at strengthening police-community relationships.
The community policing concept sought to enhance the police’s community engagement, intelligence gathering, crime prevention, conflict resolution, respect for human rights, and their general relationships with the communities.
The workshop was, therefore, to enable the regional police command and CSSM to assess the impact of the training on their policing skills and community engagement.
Addressing the participants, DCOP Mr Francis Yiribaare, Upper West Regional Police Commander, said the validation workshop would also enable them to examine successes and challenges regarding community policing.
He commended CSSM for its continued partnership and support to the command, which demonstrated the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that the knowledge and skills acquired by the officers were translated into improving community security.
Mr Yiribaare stressed that community policing should go beyond occasional public education and community engagement activities to become an integral part of the Police Service’s operational approach.
“We must be prepared to listen to the concerns of our communities, respond professionally, treat all persons with fairness and dignity, and encourage the public to see the police as partners in maintaining peace and security”, he explained.
Ms Ekanem Bassey, Head of Sub Office of CSSM, expressed happiness about the partnership between CSSM and the GPS to advance community policing as part of efforts to prevent the spillover of violent extremism into the country.
She commended the police officers for implementing the knowledge and skills acquired through the training to improve their relationship and services to the communities and said effective policing required a joint effort between the police and the communities.
“Policing cannot be done by the police alone. It is a joint effort between security officers and the communities.
The more you are equipped to be able to take on that approach, the more effective policing would be,” Ms Ekanem explained.
DCOI Mr Justice Bosomtwi-Ayensu, Upper West Regional Commander, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), commended the initiative and called for the standardisation of community policing operations to promote consistency and strengthen public confidence in law enforcement.
He also urged CSSM to support the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country, noting that building trust between security agencies and the public was essential to effective crime prevention.
During presentations at the workshop, some officers reported that the training had improved their understanding of community policing and equipped them with skills to engage traditional authorities, youth, women and other community actors.
The workshop brought together beneficiaries of the community policing training, officers of the GIS and a representative of the Upper West Regional Peace Council.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
Reporter’s email: [email protected]