MTN Ghana has organized a training programme for selected personnel of the Ghana Police Service as part of efforts to ensure the success of the Crime Fighters Initiative. A statement from MTN said the training, which focused on customer service and call centre management was to equip the Police officers with basic skills in handling customers who call to provide information through the Crime Fighters toll free hotline 18555. It said twenty (20) police personnel took part in the two-day training at the Police Head Quarters in Accra. “This brings to forty (40), the number of Police personnel trained since the launch of the Crime Fighters Initiative in 2009,” the statement said. The statement said MTN’s support to the Crime Fighters Initiative is to provide a toll free hot line and also train the Police to manage the service, adding that MTN also provided communication materials including brochures and stickers meant to inform and educate the public about the 18555 code. “Through the MTN toll free short code “18555”, members of the public are able to report crime and related incidents to the police from anywhere in the country,” it said. The statement quoted Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Mrs. Cynthia Lumor as saying “MTN has a responsibility to contribute to the welfare and development of communities through the provision of sustainable social responsibility initiatives.” She therefore assured the Ghana Police Service and the good people of Ghana of MTN’s commitment, not only to the provision of world class telecommunications products and services but also to support the security agencies in their quest to ensure peace and order in the country. Speaking at the training session, the Director of Communications for the Ghana Police Service, ACP Tennyson Aidoo commended MTN for supporting the Crime Fighters Initiative. He said “this is the only training our personnel have received to enhance the management of public requests and complaints. The value of communication in our day to day lives and in the operations of the security agencies cannot be over emphasised. The public will be happy about how they are received when they call into the center”. ACP Tennyson Aidoo also called on the general public to give the security agencies their maximum support by volunteering relevant information through the toll free line, 18555, to help curb crime in the society. The Crime Fighters Initiative is being championed by the Ghana Police service and the British High Commission in collaboration with MTN Ghana. The MTN toll free line enables the public to provide the Police with confidential information on crime. The Call Centre is responsible for the collection and dissemination of valuable information to the various units of the Police Service for their prompt action.