Law enforcement in Ghana

It is organized at national level and has a unitary command under the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Policing in early Ghana (then the Gold Coast) was originally organized by traditional authorities led by local kings or chiefs.

This they did by employing unpaid messengers to carry out executive and judicial functions in their respective communities.

[citation needed] In the metropolitan areas of Ashanti, several police forces were responsible for maintaining law and order.

[3] The colonial administrator at the time, Captain George Maclean, Governor of the Gold Coast, recruited 129 men to patrol the trade routes between Ashanti Empire and the coast and to protect colonial merchants and officials around the castle.

[4] In 1844, these troops were taken over by the British colonial authorities and became the "Gold Coast Militia and Police".

[8] Ghana has now sought to secure advanced training programs from World Police Academy Canada and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Ireland.

The police structure is organized at national level into ten schedules each headed by a Commissioner.