Abstract:
The study assessed the counselling needs of police officers in the Sekondi-
Takoradi Metropolis. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A
sample of 278 were selected through stratified random sampling from a
population of 969 police officers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. Data
were analysed using frequencies, means, t-test and ANOVA. The study
revealed that the most common counselling need of the police officers was
organisational counselling needs. Negative perceptions associated with their
work, how these perceptions affected their families and friends, and the need
to uphold “higher image” in the public were the common operational
counselling needs of the police officers. Inadequacy of equipment and
resources, nature of internal investigations, inconsistency of leadership and
dealing with supervisors were the common organisational counselling needs of
the police officers. The common personal-social counselling needs of the
respondents were solving interpersonal conflicts, understanding themselves,
meeting family demands, solving marriage and relationship issues, and dealing
with disappointments. There was no statistically significant gender difference
in their counselling needs. There was a statistically significant age difference
in the counselling needs of the police officers. It was recommended that
leadership of the Ghana Police Service organise intermittent workshops
focused on helping police officers to handle some of the organisational
challenges they face.
