The Police Administration has launched a campaign to inculcate security consciousness in children and for them to also appreciate the work of the police.
Dubbed “Snatch them young”, the initiative is also aimed at building the confidence of children in the police who are mandated to prevent and detect crime, apprehend offenders and also maintain public order and safety of persons and properties.
As part of the initiative, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and members of the Police Management Board (POMAB) have been visiting schools across the country to interact with schoolchildren.
Last Thursday, however, a special arrangement was made for some pupils from the Police Depot Cluster of Schools at Tesano in Accra to visit the Police Headquarters to interact with the IGP and some members of the POMAB.
They toured various units at the headquarters, including a television station located within the Public Affairs Department of the Police.
The excited children were also treated to music by the Police central band, while some sat on horses of the Mounted Squadron Unit of the police.
Members of POMAB took turns to educate the children on the ranking, duties and the operations of the police.
The children were later presented with assorted drinks and food after which they exchanged pleasantries with their hosts and took pictures with the IGP and other senior officers.
Advice
The schoolchildren were advised to be responsible citizens.
They were also assured of police protection and were encouraged to always consider the police as their friends whom they could approach for help at all times.
The Director of the Police Public Directorate, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, said the initiative was also to give meaning to the mantra “the police is your friend”.
She said some parents and guardians usually used the name of the police to put fear in children whenever they proved stubborn at home.
“We should not take such threats for granted because it has a way of shaping the child’s perception about the police.
“So through this kind of interactions the children would feel at ease to relate to any police officer if they go out there and there is an incident,” the director added.
Lifetime experience
An 11-year-old Class Four pupil of the Police Depot One basic school, Michealla Annane, who could not hide her joy, said “it is my first time meeting the IGP in person.
I will never forget this day. I have learnt a lot and l am happy we came”.
A Primary Two teacher at the same school, Eugenia Modenu, commended the Police for the initiative and said it provided opportunity for the children to deepen their knowledge about the duties of the police.
The Headmistress of the Police Depot Three and Four Junior High schools, Evelyn Akorfa-Doe, also said that “learning for these children has been limited to the confines of the school and for the first time they have the privilege to visit the headquarters of the service that owns their school”.
