A section of CPA personnel
At least 1525 Community Police Assistants (CPAs) have passed out to assist the Police administration in policing and law enforcement across the country.
This was the first batch of 15,000 recruits engaged under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), working in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service.
They were recruited from Central, Greater Accra and Western regions, and are expected to be posted to various districts police stations and posts across the beneficiary regions.
The Chief Executive Officer of YEA, speaking through his deputy CEO in Charge of Operation, Alhaji Bashiru Ibrahim, yesterday in Accra, informed the gathering that the Agency had increased its personnel allowances by 40 percent.
He said government had made available enough resources to ensure the regular payment of the recruits to avoid late payment of the beneficiaries.
He entreated the CPAs not to arrogate powers of mainstream police personnel to themselves since the Agency will not hesitate to dismiss individuals involved in that act.
YEA, he said, has the responsibility to create jobs for young people, and announced that before the end of 2023, the Agency had the commitment to create about 35700 jobs for the youth across the country.
Skill acquisition
The Commanding Officer of National Police Training School, C/Sup Samuel Aseidu Okanta, revealed that the CPA personnel will assist the mainstream police to undertake duties, including day and night patrols, snap checks, swoops, intelligence gathering, public order management, criminal investigations, traffic management, among others.
The CPA trainees, he indicated, had received a week intensive training programme to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills they require to function effectively as Community Protection Assistants in their various communities.
“The trainees were introduced to or taken through several subject areas, including Community Policing, Traffic Management, Client Care, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Investigation and Preservation of Evidence, Human Rights, Basic Officer Skills, Public Order Management, Crime Prevention,” he said.
He said the trainees were also introduced several methods like basic education on Terrorism, Domestic Violence, Ethics and Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, Child Trafficking and Report Writing.
Cooperation
He entreated the public to cooperate with the CPA officers and members of the Service, and furnish them with the necessary information which will help the Police to arrest criminals and miscreants who try to disturb the peace of the larger majority.
“It is important to state that policing is a shared responsibility. All stake holders and opinion leaders in our communities should form partnership with their local Police supervisors, and plan to address security challenges in their respective communities as expected,” he said.
C/Sup Okanta entreated the CPA personnel to be disciplined at all times, and endeavour to be civil in their dealings with members of the public.
“You are to assist Police to maintain law and order, and win the hearts and minds of people whom we are mandated to serve with honour and integrity. You should respect and protect human dignity. You should maintain and uphold human rights of all persons you will come across in the course of performing your duties as CPA personnel,” he admonished.
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