Former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has opposed a proposal by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu to make first degree the minimum qualification for recruitment into the Ghana Police Service.

According to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency in the Volta Region, the police service allows personnel to develop through capacity building and development hence his stance on the issue.

He added that if accepted, the move will see many young people especially those with senior high school certificates denied the opportunity of entering the police service.

His comments comes after a proposal by the IGP, David Asante-Apeatu suggesting that the Ghana Police Service are currently in talks to set first degree as the minimum qualification for recruitment into the service.

According to the IGP, the strategy has been necessitated to set up measures to ensure the service is recruiting better-educated officers.

He added that the measures being discussed are to improve a perceived lack of professionalism and combat recent challenges bedevilling the police service.

Reacting to the suggestion by the IGP, Mr. Ablakwa speaking on Newsfile stated; “I will oppose that because young people need jobs. I think that SHS levels are okay and when you get in there is continuous capacity building and development,”

He further argued that issues of poor professional standards exhibited by some police officers do not necessarily relate to their educational qualification but the quality of training and capacity building they receive after they join the Service.

Establishing an independent body to investigate allegations of unprofessional conducts against police officers, will be a major move to protecting the integrity of the Ghana Police Service, the MP avered.

He added; “Let’s leave the recruitment process to be protected; to be a process of integrity and let us make sure that there [are] continuous training and capacity building and then let’s have as a country an independent police complaints unit. It’s not in holding a degree or having a master’s [degree],”