CHALLENGES OF THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE UNDER CONSTITUTIONAL REGIMES FROM 1992 TO 2008: A CASE STUDY OF ASHANTI CENTRAL DIVISION

ABSTRACT The role of the police in any modern society is enormous. Maintenance of internal security is the main responsibility of the police service. It has been emphasized by several scholars that the environment within which the police operate is of great concern to civil society. It was based on this rationale that a study was undertaken into the operations of the police in the Ashanti Central Division of the Ghana Police in the Ashanti Region. A sample of 300 respondents made of 20 SPOs and 280 NCOs were used for data collection. Five research questions were formulated to guide data collection which was done using a questionnaire for data collection. The instruments were pre-tested at the Manhyia Division of the Ghana Police which afforded the researcher the opportunity to test the reliability, validity and consistency of responses. The Statistical Product and Service Solutions was used to do the analysis and it produced frequency tables and percentages. Data collected was presented and discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings that emerged indicated that majority of the police officers knew about the rights and freedoms of citizens. It was also found that respondents are very conversant with the concept of rule of law that underpins constitutional rule. Also it was found that some of the challenges that the police face in the discharge of their duties were: inadequate personnel, inadequate logistical support, low morale due to low remuneration, lack of adequate accommodation, among others. Based on the findings the appropriate conclusions and recommendations were made