The Contribution of Policewomen to The Development of Policing in Ghana(1952-2000)

ABSTRACT

Policing as a profession from its inception in Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) had been a profession reserved for men. This is because policing in all the former British colonies imitated the British style of policing which was base on the British Victorian Ideology. The purpose of this research is to investigate policewomen’s contributions to the development of the Ghana Police Force. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources including archival documents from the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD), and the Police Academy library, the research work covered three distinct Phases namely: the Independence Phase, the Military Regime Phase and the Democratic Phase. Using the first twelve Ghanaian policewomen employed in 1952 as a case study, during the Independence Phase Policewomen began to make contributions to the Ghana Police Force as a result the assistance they enjoyed from Nkrumah, the First president of Ghana. The findings from the Military Regime Phase and the Democratic Phase show that though women in the Ghana Police Force faced a few challenges they were able to break the glass ceiling and made remarkable achievements due to some policies which were implemented in Britain particularly during the Military Regime Phase. Though these policies did not directly influence changes with regards to the roles policewomen could play as female Officers, they increased awareness of women’s contributions when given the opportunity. Other reasons which according to the research expanded the roles of policewomen into Command 7 Positions as their male counterparts in the Democratic Phase were Education, the 1992 constitution of Ghana and the role played by Jerry John Rawlings, president of the 4th Republic. I investigated that as compared to policewomen who were recruited during the Independence and Millitary Regime Phases, policewomen who occupied Command Positions in the Democratic Regime Phase enjoyed respect and support from male Officers. This confirms that the Democratic Phase contributed significantly in marking a turning point in the roles women played in the Ghana Police Service.