A two-day capacity building workshop to strengthen competencies of personnel of the Ghana Police Service for effective child policing strategies is underway in Cape Coast.
The training forms an integral part of the rebranding efforts by the Police Administration to reinforce delivery of its services to all segments of the population.
A total of 150 police personnel will take part in the workshop expected to be replicated in Winneba.
They would be taken through topics such as the requisite skills of dealing, managing and integrating child-friendly protection policing to protect children's rights and privacy.
The GPS organised the session with sponsorship from Canadian Aid and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Addressing the participants at the opening session on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police (COP) Paul Manly Awini, the Central Regional Police Commander, said child protection was the number one priority of the Service because of children's gullibility and vulnerabilities.
He said it was necessary for the nation to take the best decisions to benefit children because they held the future.
He added that the future of every nation hinged on its human resource and since children formed the base of the human resource, appropriate measures must be put in place to ensure their survival and development.
COP Awini said in conformity with its mission, the Service would ensure crime prevention and detection, apprehension and prosecution of offenders to the expectation of Ghanaians for safe, secure and peaceful communities.
He assured the public that the police remained committed and dedicated to providing valuable services guided by the governing principles - Commitment, professionalism, fairness, zero tolerance for crime and full commitment to human rights.
The Commander encouraged participants to share their experiences and ask questions when necessary to ensure a successful and interactive training.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Laurencia Wilhelmina Akorli, the Director of Community Policing and a facilitator, reassured children of the commitment of the police to ensure they had access to justice and protected from unjustifiable discrimination.