The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Apeatu has advocated for the use of a first degree as a minimum requirement for enlistment into the police service.
He said such pre-qualification will go a long way in bringing some sanity into the police force.
Currently, the minimum requirement for entering the Police Service is a West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) certificate but the IGP is sure that the service will witness a ‘huge change’ if the minimum educational standards are raised.
“First of all, I think in our transformation agenda we have listed certain things that we think we must revamp. Training, training and re-training of our officers constantly on the job and we must also… The bad apples must be fired because they are dangerous. Imagine we had four-year degree holders only in the Police service, won’t this service change? It will, definitely going to be a huge change in the service. So, for me even if we raise the bar higher for intake of Policemen, I think it is also going to help us”, he said.
The police force has been under intense criticism over the past few weeks for separate incidents that have resulted in deaths and abuse.
“We’ve been talking about it, it didn’t use to be SHS (Senior High School) some time ago JHS (Junior High School) but I think it will be proper for us to keep raising the bar higher”, he added.
The IGP revealed that recruiting better-educated officers are part of measures being discussed to improve a perceived lack of professionalism and combat recent challenges bedevilling the police service.