| Agencyname: | Ghana Police Service |
| Commonname: | Ghana Police Service |
| Abbreviation: | GPS |
| Patch: | Ghana Police Service (GPS) patch.jpg |
| Patchcaption: | Ghana Police Service patch depicting the service logo |
| Logocaption: | Logo of the Ghana Police Service |
| Badge: | Ghana Police Service (GPS) Badge.jpg |
| Badgecaption: | Shield of the Ghana Police Service |
| Motto: | Service With Integrity |
| Formedyear: | 1894 |
| Preceding1: | 1894 – 1957: known as the Gold Coast Police Force |
| Preceding2: | 1957 – known as the Ghana Police Service |
| Employees: | 32,684 (30 June 2011) |
| Map: | Regions of Ghana en.svg |
| Sizearea: | 92098sqmi |
| Sizepopulation: | 24,233,431 |
| Country: | Republic of Ghana |
| National: | Yes |
| Governingbody: | Government of Ghana |
| Constitution1: | Police Act 1904 |
| Constitution2: | Police Act 1960 |
| Constitution3: | Police Act 1970 |
| Constitution4: | Policing Act 1992 |
| Police: | Yes |
| Local: | Yes |
| Headquarters: | Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana |
| Sworn: | 23,684 (30 June 2011) |
| Unsworn: | 9,000 (30 June 2011) |
| Electeetype: | Minister |
| Minister1name: | Henry Quartey |
| Minister1pfo: | Minister for Interior |
| Chief1name: | COP George Akuffo Dampare |
| Chief1position: | Inspector General of Police |
| Unittype: | Departments |
| Officetype: | Region |
| Stations: | 651+ |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
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.
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) George Akuffo Dampare.[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]
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.
There are, furthermore, specialized police units in all the regional divisions. The Regional Commander has oversight over these units. These units include:[3]
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]
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]
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]
The current head of the Ghana Police Service is Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare.[11]