The police and the prosecutorial system in Ghana: An assessment of the police prosecutors in the western north region of Ghana police service

Abstract

Police prosecutors have been part of the prosecutorial system of Ghana since the colonial period. Since the extension of prosecutorial powers to the police in Ghana in the colonial era, police prosecutors have played an enormous role in the functioning of the prosecutorial system in the country. In the Western-North Region of Ghana, there is palpable evidence of the work of police prosecutors in the prosecutorial system. In each district police station in the Western-North Region, there are two police prosecutors except Bibiani and Sefwi Wiawso where there are five police prosecutors each. Despite their enormous contributions to the functioning of the prosecutorial system, police prosecutors in the Western-North Region face a number of challenges that affect their capacity to discharge their duties efficiently. This study examined the capacity of police prosecutors in the Western-North Region. It measured their capacity against a number of variables – professional competence, educational standard, technological and other logistics. A qualitative method was applied to the study, and the main data collection instruments used were document study, case study, questionnaires and interviews. Primary data from the field were gathered from the various districts in the Western-North Region. The study found that lack of technological capacity and professional competence negatively impinge on the capacity of police prosecutors in the Western-North Region. The study recommended that police prosecutors in the Western-North Region should be empowered with laptops to advance their work. Furthermore, it recommended that police prosecutors with the qualification to enroll in the universities in Ghana to pursue law programs should be encouraged please.