Upper West Police validate community policing strategy after training 90 officers

The Upper West Regional Police Command has begun assessing the impact of community policing training provided to 90 police officers, as part of efforts to strengthen public trust, improve intelligence gathering and enhance crime prevention in the region.

The one-day validation workshop, held in Wa on Monday, October 12, was supported by the Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM) to evaluate how officers trained in April 2026 have applied their knowledge and skills in their respective communities.

The training covered 90 personnel drawn from three districts in the Upper West Region, organised into three cohorts.

Speaking at the workshop, Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Francis Yiribaare, said the effectiveness of the training must be measured by its practical impact on policing and police-community relations, rather than the number of officers trained or certificates awarded.

He said the validation exercise would help the command identify achievements, challenges and gaps in implementation while determining how community policing principles had been integrated into daily law enforcement activities.

“The true value of any training programme is not measured solely by the number of personnel trained or the certificates awarded. Rather, its value lies in how effectively participants apply the knowledge and skills acquired to improve police service delivery, build public confidence and promote safer communities,” he said.

DCOP Yiribaare stressed that community policing must become an integral part of police operations rather than being limited to occasional public education and community engagement activities.

He called on police personnel to work closely with traditional authorities, local government institutions, youth and women's groups, community leaders and other stakeholders to address security concerns before they escalate.

According to him, public trust is critical to effective policing because communities that have confidence in the police are more likely to share credible information, cooperate with investigations and participate in crime prevention initiatives.

He further urged district commanders to provide the necessary leadership, supervision and logistical support to ensure that the skills acquired through the training translate into measurable improvements in security delivery.

The police commander assured participants that the command would use the findings and recommendations from the validation exercise to strengthen community policing across its operational areas.

For her part, Head of Sub-Office and Field Coordinator of Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM), Ekanem Bassey, said the organisation's support was intended to strengthen the capacity of Ghana's security agencies to deliver effective services in partnership with the communities they serve.

She explained that CSSM supported the training after the Ghana Police Service identified community policing as a priority, stressing that the initiative was designed and led by the police, with CSSM providing logistical support.

“We don't do anything by ourselves. We actually support partners to carry out activities once priorities have been identified,” she said.

Madam Bassey commended the police for the community engagements and media activities undertaken in the three districts following the April training.

She noted that policing could not be effective if security agencies operated in isolation from the public, insisting that collaboration between officers and communities remained essential to preventing crime and improving security outcomes.

“Policing cannot be done alone. It's a joint effort between security officers and the communities. And the more you are equipped to be able to take on that approach, the more effective policing would be,” she said.

Bassey urged the trained officers to sustain the initiative and share their knowledge with colleagues in their respective districts to deepen community engagement and improve security delivery.

She disclosed that the Wa workshop was the first of three regional validation exercises CSSM was supporting, adding that similar activities would be organised in two other regions.

The validation exercise is expected to provide practical recommendations for sustaining community policing and strengthening institutional commitment to the strategy.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to promote a community-centred approach to policing, where public participation, mutual trust and cooperation complement conventional law enforcement methods.