DIRECTOR-GENERAL, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT (CID)

The Director-General, CID shall be responsible to the IGP on the following:

  • All criminal matters;
  • Ensure the running and maintenance of an effective and efficient Detective Training School for the training of all detectives in the country;
  • Administer and coordinate activities of Regional, Divisional, District and Station CIDs;
  • Supervise, monitor and control all activities of the Forensic Science Department;
  • Supervise, monitor and control activities of all units under the CID:
  • Create and facilitate crime intelligence units under the CID;
  • Supervise, monitor and control crime research activities to establish crime trends and patterns;
  • Develop strategies for crime prevention, control, investigation and detection;
  • Ensure the deportation and extradition of persons in accordance with law;
  • Ensure the compilation of Criminal Statistics, Police Gazette and the Annual crime report;
  • Collect, collate and coordinate information and intelligence on crimes and criminals; and
  • Any other duties as assigned by the IGP.

Because of the different nature of crimes, the CID at the headquarters has divided its offices into several units. These include:

DOMESTIC VOILENCE AND VICTIM SUPPORT UNIT (DOVVSU)

BACKGROUND

The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service formerly known as Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) was established in October 1998 as a Specialized Unit within the Ghana Police Service formed in response to the increasing number of reported cases of abuse and violence against women and children.

However, the Unit’s name (Women and Juvenile Unit) was perceived by a lot of Ghanaians as a place where only women and children could go and report cases or seek redress. As a result, men who were victims of domestic violence felt reluctant to patronize the services of the Unit. In order to make the Unit open and accessible to all victims of domestic violence, its name was changed to DOVVSU in 2005.

DOVVSU is expected to, among its numerous functions: provide free services to members of the public; protect the rights of the vulnerable against all forms of abuse, be it physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, socio-economic, or harmful cultural practices; establish an effective database for crime detection, prevention and prosecution; treat victims/complainants and their families with respect and courtesy; take statements in a professional manner; provide victims with information on their cases as well as details of the investigations; provide advice on crime prevention at homes, in schools, churches and markets. The Unit also refer victims for medical services and specialized help to clinical psychologists; social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and counselors attached to the Unit. DOVVSU in addition is expected to collaborate with NGOs and other civil society organizations that may be able to offer assistance to victims in need of necessary support services.

VISION: To create an environment where domestic violence and other forms of abuse would be freely reported and to collaborate with stakeholders to provide coordinated timely responses to victims.

MISSION: To prevent, protect, apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of domestic violence and child abuse.

MAIN FUNCTIONS:

  • Investigate all offences related to Vulnerable Groups;
  • Handle cases involving Gender-based Violence including Domestic Violence and child abuse.
  • Handle Juvenile offences.
  • Prosecute all these offences where necessary.

OBJECTIVES:

  • To educate the public in general about the fact that all acts of violence are crime, irrespective of the victim involved.
  • To educate women, children and other vulnerable persons who form the majority of DOVVSU’s clientele of their rights, in order to reduce the fear in reporting cases of abuse.
  • To empower women to take informed decisions through counseling.
  • To enable children to be heard on issues concerning their welfare.
  • To bring perpetrators to book.
  • To partner with other agencies to meet the needs of survivors of abuse through building of Support Networks for effective Protection System.

The legal frameworks currently informing and guiding the Unit include the 1992 Constitution of Ghana; the Criminal Offences Act (Act 29) 1960; the Criminal Code (Amended) Act, 1998 (Act 554); the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560);; the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653); and the Domestic Violence Act, 2007(Act 732).

FORENSIC SCIENCE LABORATORY – (FSL)

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) of the Ghana Police Service was established to provide scientific support to criminal investigations. It is the only Forensic Laboratory for the Ghana Police Service and as such caters for all the regions in Ghana. The unit is under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. The FSL is divided into five (5) main sections namely Chemistry/Drugs Analysis, Document Examination, Photography, DNA and Ballistics/Firearms.

Contact Address:

Forensic Science Laboratory

Criminal Investigation Department

P.o. Box 505

Accra

History

The present day Forensic Science Laboratory started as a small Crime Scene Unit at the Police Training School in Tesano, Accra by a British Expatriate Superintendent of Police Mr. B. S. Holloway in 1948. The area of work was mainly taking of photographs and lifting of fingerprints at crime scenes as well as the preparation of criminal records for convicted criminals. A Crime Laboratory was created by Mr. B. S. Holloway in 1963 consisting of the following sections;

  • Ballistics
  • Biochemistry
  • Document/ Photo
  • Fingerprint

In 1964, Superintendent Mr. B. S. Holloway retired and left for Britain, his home country. His Ghanaian assistant Mr. Tamakloe took over and moved the newly created Crime Laboratory to Accra Central Police Station but it was located in the premises of the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation with the CID/HQRS Annex.

In August 1966, Mr. Tamakloe again moved the Crime Laboratory with all the sections with the exception of the fingerprint section to the current location at KLUVIA CLOSE, OLUSEGUN OBASANJO HIGH STREET. The fingerprint section remained in Accra Central until it was relocated to the 3rd floor of the CID/HQRS building on the Ring Road Central, Cantonments.

The name was changed to Forensic Science Laboratory in 1999 under the headship of Mrs. Joana Osei – Poku and during the tenure of the then Director General/CID Mr P. K. Acheampong.

Current State

The Forensic Science Laboratory has over the years undergone various transformations in a quest to reach international standards. The most recent commissioned on December 16, 2011 was a Three Million Euro support from the European Union under the EU-Ghana Police Project. The FSL received a tremendous facelift under this project. This included expansion of the physical structure of the FSL, acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and also materials for all the sections. The support also brought an evolution of the Serology section into a fully-fledged operational forensic DNA section, the first of its kind in the West African sub region.

 

 

Sections

Chemistry | Drug Analysis Section

The Chemistry/Drug Analysis Section examines seized materials suspected to be narcotics. It receives an average of about 800 cases annually. Additionally, the section conducts chemical analysis such as;

  • Etching to restore obliterated marks on metal surfaces such as chassis numbers on cars, models numbers on weapons and other objects.
  • Examination of materials mostly clothing for the presence of acids or alkalis. The section can boast of modern analytical instruments including Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer system (GC-MS), Gas chromatograph – Flame Ionization Detector system (GC-FID), High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and Infra Red (IR) spectrophotometer.

This has greatly improved the work of the unit in terms of quality and speed.

On the international level, the chemistry section is a regular participant in the bi-annual International Collaborative Exercise (ICE) organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as a proficiency testing tool. We are proud to state that our results are very high and consistent, an indication of our classed status.

Ballistic Firearms

The Ballistic Section assists Criminal Investigations with evidence related to firearms and ammunitions.  Based on evidence collected, the section can provide various answers including;

  • What or which weapon fired a bullet or cartridge case?
  • The entry and exit points of ammunition in objects or targets such as the human body, car, walls etc
  • The possible distance of the firer from the object or target.

The Ballistic section can boast of a 20X7m state-of-the-art Shooting Range, a comparison microscope, a bullet trap or catcher and an ammunition velocity determinant gadget.

Document Examination

The section examines documents to provide answers for documents in disputes.

The scope of its work includes;

  • Determination of authenticity of wills, currencies, passports, printed materials etc.
  • Identification of handwriting and signatures
  • Identification of documents suspected to be forged
  • Identification of typed materials, Checks, photocopies.
  • Detection of alterations, additions, deletions of documents
  • Deciphering alterations and erasures.

The section works with sophisticated modern instruments like the; Video Spectral Comparator (VSC) and Electrostatic imaging system for detecting indented impressions on documents (ESDA). The section works on a lot of cases for the police and the general public as well as the courts in Ghana thereby generating funds for the state. The current fee for examination (civil cases) is One thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh 1,000).

INTERPOL

INTERPOL ACCRA

Contact information:

INTERPOL Accra may be contacted through the Director-General, CID Headquarters, Accra.

Location                                    : 1st Floor, CID Headquarters, Accra

Director                                     : ACP/Mr. Frederick Kwadwo AGYEI

Deputy                                       :  Naomi A. ACQUAH (Mrs)

Officer in charge / WAPIS      : DSP/Mr. Eric TETTEH

Officer in charge/AFRIPOL   :  DSP/Mr. Nestor MACAULEY

Email: interpolcidgh@yahoo.com

Tel: 0302 777606

Ghana joined INTERPOL in 1958.   NCB/INTERPOL Accra is a Unit at the CID Headquarters.

Core Functions:

  1. Cooperate with INTERPOL General Secretariat and other National Central Bureaus on issues related to crime fighting.
  2. Make INTERPOL’s capabilities accessible to all national stakeholders in the fight against transnational organized crime.
  3. Extradition of fugitives.
  4. Host conferences and training courses organized by the INTERPOL General Secretariat and the INTERPOL Regional Bureau.
  5. Act as liaison between the General Secretariat and other National Central Bureaus on one hand, and other law enforcement agencies in the country on the other, in the fight against transnational organized crime.

INTERPOL Accra also has oversight responsibility over the following Units.

  1. The West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) Data Collection and Registration Center (DACORE)– The WAPIS project was initiated in 2010 to create a common police-information system across West Africa to facilitate the sharing of criminal information on a timely basis within the region and the rest of the world, as well as enhance law enforcement cooperation in fighting transnational organized crime and terrorism in the sub-region. It is funded by the European Union and implemented by INTERPOL. The DACORE is located at the CID Headquarters in Accra and it supervises the implementation of the WAPIS programme in Ghana.

The AFRIPOL Secretariat: AFRIPOL, the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation, was established in 2014 under the aegis of the African Union as an independent mechanism for   framework for police cooperation at the strategic, operational and tactical levels between MemberStatespoliceinstitutions.
AFRIPOL functions on the following principles:

  • Respect for democratic rule, human rights, the rule of law and good governance in accordance with the Constitutive Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other relevant instruments;
  • Respect of the Police Ethics, the principles of neutrality, sovereignty, integrity and the presumption of innocence.

Following an agreement signed between INTERPOL and the African Union in January 2019 to work together in tackling serious global crime, an online ceremony was held in April 2020, to launch INTERPOL’s operational working relationship with AFRIPOL,

The AFRIPOL Secretariat is located at the INTERPOL Unit of the CID Headquarters.

Homicide Unit: Investigates murder and its related offences.

Property Fraud: Responsible for investigating cases involving land and immovable properties.

Intelligence Unit: Responsible for gathering intelligence, conduct surveillance, vetting of public and private individuals applying for jobs, child adoption and importation of firearms and explosions

Legal and Prosecutions: Like all Prosecutions, officers in this Unit prosecute cases on behalf of the Attorney General at the lower courts. They also guide investigators in gathering evidences legally accepted for successful prosecution.

 Criminal Data Services Bureau (CDSB): The Units is responsible for building criminal records of all persons arrested, charged and prosecuted, convicted or sentenced. Also process prints lifted from crime scenes for investigation and conduct criminal checks on individuals seeking employment, travelling outside Ghana and analyse disputed documents.

  Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU): Help in the rescue of trafficked victims, arrest perpetrators and investigate human trafficking and related offences.

 Anti-Armed Robbery: A specialized Unit for investigating armed robbery and its related cases.

Crime Scene Management: Responsible for processing crime scenes for evidential purposes.

Documentation and Visa Fraud: Duties of officers in this unit include investigating documents suspected to have been forged and visa fraud cases.