POLICE TRAINING SCHOOL GETS MORE FACILITIES (PAGE 29)

Infrastructure development is gradually progressing at the Police Training School at Patasi in Kumasi.
The hitherto inadequate facilities such as dormitories, classrooms and a clinic that undermined effective and efficient training of police recruits are now becoming history.
Hitherto, the Police Training School could accommodate about 90 recruits at a time, but thanks to the refurbishment of both the female and male dormitories, and the construction of a new classroom, as many as 400 recruits can now be accommodated at a time.
This is enhancing the training of future policemen and women who will augment those already on the field and thereby facilitate the provision of adequate security for law-abiding Ghanaians.
When the Daily Graphic visited the school moments after 99 recruits had passed out of training on Tuesday July 15, 2008, the Commanding Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), E. K. Akunnor, who led the reporter to inspect ongoing projects, expressed optimism that when the school gets the necessary support to provide additional facilities it would enhance the training of recruits to address the security concern of the nation.
The Police Training School with support from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) constructed the 400-capacity classroom block at an estimated cost of GH25,000.
The classroom is about 90 per cent complete, but because it has been furnished already, it is being used by the new recruits for their theoretical work.
Because of inadequate infrastructure, the new classroom block is also being used as a church and an assembly hall.
The Commanding Officer appealed to the public to support the Police Command to construct additional blocks to be used as a church and an assembly hall to reduce the pressure on the classroom.
So far a Kumasi-based construction firm, Consar Ltd, and a timber firm, Bomplex, have donated 10 gallons of emulsion paint for the painting of the classroom block and a quantity of plywood for the ceiling. The commanding officer commended them for their gesture.
What remains to be done on the new building are the electrical and plumbing works and the commanding officer gave the assurance that they would be able to complete the classroom project for use with about GH¢5,000.
DSP Akunnor said already the Police Command had provided financial support for the refurbishment of the female and male dormitories.
He said apart from painting the buildings, additional beds, and mosquito nets had also been provided to give the recruits a conducive atmosphere in the school.
He said the school's clinic, which was established some months ago, was also undergoing expansion to enable them to provide quality health care for the recruits and residents within its catchment area.
The commanding officer said the Police Command had provided beds, wheelchairs, furniture, stabilising machines and refrigerators to store drugs, as well as office cabinets and other equipment as part of their effort to upgrade the clinic to a hospital status.
He said other areas that had been refurbished were the charge office, the cells and armouries, which were being fortified.
He said the lighting system at the training school had also improved to enhance security due to the financial support provided by the Police Command. The commanding officer commended the IGP for the efforts he had made to turn the Kumasi Police Training School into an enviable one.
The refurbishment of the four instructors' blocks at the depot to create a congenial atmosphere in the training school remained their key challenge, DSP Akunnor said.
He said the fencing of the school to prevent miscreants from using the premises as a passageway was also one of their challenges and appealed for public support to address it.
"It is a big project because we would require an estimated amount of GH¢120,000 to fence the entire Police Depot. This will also curb encroachment by private land developers, who are eager to build into our portion of land," he said.
DSP Akunnor said their parade ground was also fast deteriorating and needed public support to rehabilitate it.
He explained that maintaining the parade grounds on regular basis was key to the effective and efficient practical training of the police recruits and appealed to the public for support.
"The public need more policemen in the country, so you should also support us in diverse ways to put our training school in good order to enable us to produce the professional policemen and women needed for effective policing to take place in the country," he noted.
Another area of concern to the Kumasi Police Training School is the absence of a library complex.
"At the moment we have no library at the school, and this is undermining effective and efficient academic work,” he bemoaned.
Explaining, he said with a library complex, instructors in the school and the recruits would be able to undertake effective research work to enhance teaching and learning.