Commissioner of Police Paul Manly Awini, Central Regional Police Commander, has said obstacles to the advancement of female officers in the Ghana Police Service are a thing of the past.
He called on female Police officers to be bold, confident and diligent in the discharge of their duties and aspire for higher positions in the Service.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Central Regional Police Ladies Association (POLAS) in Cape Coast on the theme: "The role of Police Ladies in combating crime in the society", COP Awini underscored the importance of female Police officers in combating crime.
"In the early days of policing in Ghana, there were some artificial blocks that did not encourage female officers to climb up the ladder but that is no more. Now female Police officers have equal opportunity. They have diverse roles in every unit", he said.
"Women perform duties across the whole range of operational units. They have acquainted themselves with credibility. Every day, the women of the Ghana Police Service make a positive difference to individuals and the communities", he said.
He urged them to continually upgrade their knowledge and make proactive measures to tackle crime because criminals were constantly seeking different strategies to reach their target.
COP Awini said youth unemployment, narcotics, proliferation of small arms and porous borders were some of the major security threats to peace and stability of the country.
This, he said, calls for an increased demand on the Police service to deliver services that were more diverse, complex, skilled and specialised in nature.
He expressed worry over the proliferation of small arms and weapon and said they remain a threat to national security and urged the personnel to have the instinct to retrieve all unauthorised arms and weapon in the system to ensure peace and security in the country.
COP Awini commended POLAS members in various capacities within the Service for their hard work and dedication which has brought policing in the country to another level.
He urged them to strive hard, show commitment to work, be disciplined and exhibit high sense of professionalism and position themselves as indispensable force in driving the transformation agenda of the GPS.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Esther Aseye, Kotokuraba Police Crime Officer, advised the Police ladies not to use child birth as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities.
She asked them to maintain high integrity, good morals and be ready to learn new things as the security and law enforcement landscape was rapidly changing.