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Institute of Criminology

 

Biography

I earned my BA (History Major with minor in the Study of Religions) from the University of Ghana and a Master of Philosophy degree in African Studies from the same institution.

My keen interest in a wide range of security related issues spans over two decades beginning from June 1998, when I earned my BA. From July 1998, I was part of a team at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, which studied traditional security apparatuses in Ghana known as the Asafo companies. The field work (mainly qualitative) and its subsequent findings, revealed how these traditional security apparatuses (including policing) mutated over time and space. The findings also highlighted salient mechanisms of accountability and integrity and how the traditional security sector was governed. The study on Asafo became a catalyst for my interest and focus on security sector reform and governance.

Between 2002 and 2007, I worked with a think tank whose prime focus was on research and training in security sector reform and governance in Africa. Police corruption was a regular topic for discussion at seminars, research and workshops. Soon, I began to appreciate the complex interconnectedness between various actors of the security sector and how, for instance, good policing was a product of many ‘unseen’ variables. I have subsequently worked with other community-based organisations, youth groups as well as national and international organisation in various capacities.

Over the years, I have sought to find ways to improve policing in Ghana. I find in police research, a potentially fruitful avenue to achieve this goal by providing sound research to improve police decisions. I am currently working with Dr. Justice Tankebe on a project similar to Robert Reiner’s study of chief constables in the UK, focused on understanding the role of police commanders in Ghana. The study is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is hoped the findings would be interesting enough to contribute to the limited literature on senior police officers. My PhD research is focused on understanding police corruption in Ghana as a basis to develop effective counter-corruption interventions.

Contact Details

PhD Supervisor: Dr Justice Tankebe
College: St Edmunds

Affiliations

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