Ghana Police Service GPS Regional Training Colleges
Regional Police Training School – Ho
The Regional Police Training School in Ho was initially known as the Reserve Training Centre (RTC). It later became the Regional Mobile Force and Training School.
Though officially opened on 18th August, 1961, the maiden training course was meant for the Local Authority Staff but were later absorbed into the Ghana Police Service. This was followed by the recruitment of one hundred and eighty – six (186) agriculture employees (Brigades) who were also absorbed into the Ghana Police Service. Formal training of Police recruits began in 1968 with 64 recruits who were enlisted in Accra and conveyed to the then Reserve Training Centre (RTC), Ho for their basic Police training.
The school was mandated by the National Police Administration to effectively provide training for police recruits and personnel. The school is guided by S. I. 100 in carrying out its mandate of ensuring that the trainees acquire professional skills necessary to discharge their duties in full conformity with applicable international standards and that of the Ghana Police Service within the framework of national laws so that the trainees are able to perform their roles with minimum or no supervision after the training. From 2011 to date, the school has trained over two thousand(2000) policemen.
Personnel
Currently the school has personnel strength of forty – nine (49) and eighteen (18) civilian employees.
Achievements
- The untarredparade ground/square is undergoing reconstruction.
- Plans are far advanced for the construction of a multipurpose chapel in the school. Blocks, chippings, iron – rods, some bags of cement, etc have been bought.
- The school has been lit with streetlights.
- Twenty (20) strong armchairs have been purchased for use on ceremonial occasions.
- The school successfully graduated two batches of Youth Employment Agency trainees in the Community Policing Assistants modules.
- The school has also trained Environmental Protection Officers for the Youth Employment Agency.
- The school trains cadets of various Senior High Schools in the region.
- There has been renovation/repair works on the recruits blocks, classrooms and other facilities to improve their state for the comfort of recruits and personnel.
- Occasionally, personnel and recruits of the school undertake fatigue/clean-up exercises in the Ho municipality.
Challenges Encountered
These include:
- There are not enough general duty personnel to perform duties especially when recruits are on training.
- Lack of clinic facility at the school.
- Untarred parade ground/square and the main streets of the school.
- Inadequate office accommodation.
- Inadequate residential accommodation for recruits and personnel.
- Lack of place of worship for recruits.
- Lack of fence around the school.
- Absence of permanent class instructors. The class instructors in the school are mostly office and C.I.D. personnel and SPOs within Ho Municipality.
- The school is without a bus to transport large number of recruits at a time when there is the need to visit the court, hospital, the shooting range, etc. to enhance training.
- The recruits mess is still using firewood for cooking. Meanwhile the school has a gas cylinder, which was brought over ten (10) years ago but still not installed.
- There is no ambulance in the school to enhance movement of sick personnel and recruits from the school to hospital and back in case of medical emergency.
- There is no large lecture hall to cater for the large number of trainees during examinations and other social gatherings.
- The school has one photocopier, a fax machine and a small printer, which do not enhance clerical duties.
- There are no metal cabinets in the school to keep confidential records. At least two (2) metal cabinets are needed for such purpose.
Despite the above – mentioned challenges, the command of the school is making frantic efforts to solve them. Though letters and verbal appeals have been made to corporate organisations to help in solving these challenges, the required assistance is not forthcoming.