Ghana Police Service

The Ghana Police Service (GPS) is the main law enforcement agency of Ghana. The service is under the control of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior,^[2] and employs over 30,000 officers across its 651 stations.

CommonnameGhana Police Service

AbbreviationGPS

MottoService With Integrity

Formed1894

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Ghana Police Service
Ghana Police Service patch depicting the service logo
Logo of the Ghana Police Service
Shield of the Ghana Police Service
Common name	Ghana Police Service
Abbreviation	GPS
Motto	Service With Integrity
Agency overview
Formed	1894
Preceding agencies	1894 – 1957: known as the Gold Coast Police Force 1957 – known as the Ghana Police Service
Employees	32,684 (30 June 2011)
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Republic of Ghana
Operations jurisdiction	Republic of Ghana

Map of Ghana Police Service's jurisdiction
Size	238,530 square kilometres (92,098 sq mi)
Population	24,233,431
Governing body	Government of Ghana
Constituting instruments	Police Act 1904 Police Act 1960 Police Act 1970 Policing Act 1992
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Sworn members	23,684 (30 June 2011)
Unsworn members	9,000 (30 June 2011)
Minister responsible	Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, Minister for Interior
Agency executive	COP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, Inspector General of Police
Departments	18 • Administration • Criminal Investigation • Finance • Human Resource • ICT • Legal & Prosecution • Motor Traffic & Transport Unit • National Operations • National Patrol Department • National Protection Directorate • Police Intelligence Directorate • Police Professional Standard Bureau • Public Affairs • Research, Planning & Transformation • Services • Special Duties • Technical • Welfare
Regions	10 Ashanti Brong-Ahafo Central Eastern Greater Accra Northern Upper East Upper West Volta Western
Facilities
Stations	651+
Website
www.police.gov.gh
^[1]

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Organisational structure

The Ghana Police Service operates in twelve divisions: ten covering the ten regions of Ghana, one assigned specifically to the seaport and industrial hub of Tema, and the twelfth being the Railways, Ports and Harbours Division.^[3] An additional division, the Marine Police Unit, exists to handle issues that arise from the country's offshore oil and gas industry.^[3]

The current head of the Ghana Police Service is Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohunu.^[4] For each of the regional police divisions, there is a Regional Commander who is in charge of all operational and administrative functions under his jurisdiction. In direct operational matters, the Regional Commander furthermore works in tandem with the Regional Operational Commander. For administrative functions, the Regional Commander is assisted by the Deputy Regional Commander and the Regional Crime Officer. The Deputy Inspector-General of Police is assisted by the Director-General of the Police Administration, and supervises the activities of the regional commanders of police.^[3]

Regional divisions

Apart from the National Police Headquarters, all the regional divisions have subdivisions under them.^[3] The aim of this is to decentralize the activities of the regional police force for more effective and flexible service.

Special units

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There are, furthermore, specialized police units in all the regional divisions. The Regional Commander has oversight over these units. These units include:^[3]

Arms and Ammunition
Audit Offices
Courts and Prosecution
Crime Offices
Domestic Violence and Victim Support
Finance Offices
Highway Patrol Unit
Mobile Force (in eight regions)
Motor Traffic and Transport Unit
Police Training Schools (in five regions).
Public Affairs Directorate
Rapid Deployment Force
Mounted Squadron^[5]

Marine Police Unit

In April 2011, the Ghana Police Service set up a special Marine Police Unit (MPU).^[6] The unit has amongst its duties policing operations related to the country's oil and gas industry,^[3] and the handling of offenses contained in the Fisheries Act 2002 and Fisheries Regulations 2011.

The Marine Unit was inaugurated in Takoradi on 21 June 2013 by Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. The unit operates two 9-meter patrol boats (P1 & P2) and four 6.3-meter rigid inflatable boats (P3, P4, P5 & P6).^[7]

Mounted Squadron

On August 12, 2021, the Ghana Police Service launched a horse patrol operations as part of the Mounted Squadron Unit of the Ghana Police Service. This unit would be running patrol services in some selected part of Accra, Ghana.^[8]

Other

The Ghana Police Service has a women's soccer/football club called the Police Ladies Football Club, which was formed in 2007. The club plays in the Ghana Women’s Premier League, the first tier women's football league.^[9]^[10]