The Contribution Of Policewomen To The Development Of Policing In Ghana (1952-2000)
Loading...
Date
2017-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Policing as a profession from its inception in Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast)
had been a profession reserved for men. This is because policing in all the
former British colonies imitated the British style of policing which was base on
the British Victorian Ideology. The purpose of this research is to investigate
policewomen’s contributions to the development of the Ghana Police Force.
Drawing on both primary and secondary sources including archival documents
from the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD),
and the Police Academy library, the research work covered three distinct Phases
namely: the Independence Phase, the Military Regime Phase and the
Democratic Phase.
Using the first twelve Ghanaian policewomen employed in 1952 as a case
study, during the Independence Phase Policewomen began to make
contributions to the Ghana Police Force as a result the assistance they enjoyed
from Nkrumah, the First president of Ghana. The findings from the Military
Regime Phase and the Democratic Phase show that though women in the Ghana
Police Force faced a few challenges they were able to break the glass ceiling
and made remarkable achievements due to some policies which were
implemented in Britain particularly during the Military Regime Phase. Though
these policies did not directly influence changes with regards to the roles
policewomen could play as female Officers, they increased awareness of
women’s contributions when given the opportunity. Other reasons which
according to the research expanded the roles of policewomen into Command
Positions as their male counterparts in the Democratic Phase were Education,
the 1992 constitution of Ghana and the role played by Jerry John Rawlings,
president of the 4th Republic.
I investigated that as compared to policewomen who were recruited
during the Independence and Millitary Regime Phases, policewomen who
occupied Command Positions in the Democratic Regime Phase enjoyed respect
and support from male Officers. This confirms that the Democratic Phase
contributed significantly in marking a turning point in the roles women played
in the Ghana Police Service.
Description
THesis (MPhil)
Keywords
Policewomen, Development Of Policing, 1952-2000, Ghana, Police