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DSP Samuel Opoku, the man at the forefront of ‘The Youth and Crime Campaign’ of Ghana Prisons
DSP Samuel kofi Opoku interacting with the students
“The development of the youth must be very crucial to every country. It is the reason why every government must consider policies to protect them because they represent the future. They are the generation to take over from older ones.”
The above quote represents the view of a vibrant young man, Mr Samuel Kofi Opoku, a Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP) of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS).
DSP Opoku is stationed at the Service’s Headquarters at Cantonment and has become the face of the ‘The Youth and Crime Campaign,’ an initiative of the Ghana Prisons Service.
With his passion for youth development, DSP Opoku has welcomed this responsibility thrown at him by his superiors and is wholeheartedly committed to it.
The ‘The Youth and Crime Campaign,’ seeks to address the cause of the youth’s involvement in crime and also, contribute in reducing their involvement in crime.
It appeared defunct as it witnessed little or no activity but recent effort by the Service has breathed life into the campaign and seem to be transforming the lives of the youth in schools, churches and the GPS.
DSP Opoku’s association with the project started after joining the Service in January 2017. He was invited by a Charismatic Church at Kasoa in the Central region to have a talk with the members about the work of the GPS.
What was supposed to last for 30 minutes was stretched for over three hours.
After that, he felt the ignorance of the youth regarding some of the crimes around them and life in and after prison.
The outcome motivated him to accept the challenge of the campaign powered by the Public Relations Unit of the Service in 2022.
“We visit schools, churches and educate them about crimes, juvenile detention and the Juvenile Justice system in the country. Among the schools and churches visited were Labone Senior High School, Nugs Career Fairs, Rangoon Basic School, Kinbu Secondary School, Presbyterian Church Osu, and Mampong School for the Deaf.
Challenges
In all of these, language appear to be the biggest challenge faced by the campaign team because some of the groups or individuals encountered who were not conversant with the English language, had to be attended to differently in other languages.
“That notwithstanding, we are able to educate children about crime and its consequences on individuals whether young or old. That has gone a long way to reduce the child involvement in crime stories.”
It is the wish of DSP Opoku that they would be able to cover a lot of remote areas to benefit from the laudable initiative.
And in all of these, he hailed the impact of the Director General of the GPS, Mr. Isaac Kofi Egyiri, and Prisons Directorate for their immense support over the years for championing this course. And also Dr. Vladmir Antwi Danso for encouraging and supporting financially to the Prisons Service.
The campaign falls in line with the Ghana Prison Service’s mandate for reformation and integration into the society. This is done by taking inmates through various skills training at the classrooms at the various prison centres.
But one important thing the campaign has lacked is corporate support.
In his view, it was important for the corporate sector especially to support the campaign to reduce crime among the youngsters to create a crime-free environment for businesses to thrive.
Passion
Before joining the GPS, he had stints with Radio Windybay in Winneba in the Central Region as a student news anchor. He also worked as a talk show host and producer, Editor for the Profile newspaper, Reporter and Producer at Channel R, Correspondent for the Ghanaian Observer and Daily Guide newspapers.
He taught English language and Literature at the Aggrey Memorial Senior High School in Cape Coast, Mercy Islamic Senior High School and St. Dominic Senior High School in Kwahu- Pepease.
He later coached the female basketball team of the Aggrey Memorial Senior High School to win their first ever trophy at the 2013 edition of the Sprite Ball Competition.
Life
DSP Opoku started his primary school education at the Presec Staff School (Legon) and continued to Tema Senior High School where he studied General Arts.
He holds a Diploma in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Public Relations) from the University of Media Arts and Communication (UNIMAC) formerly Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Education, Winneba, Certificate in Radio Broadcasting, Certificate in Advance Monitoring and Evaluation from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
Work
He was enlisted into the Prison Service in January, 2017 as a Cadet Officer and commissioned as an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) on March 23, 2018 after 18months of paramilitary training at the Prison Officers Training School in Accra.
He first worked at the Monitoring, Research and Evaluation office at the Prisons Headquarters but was transferred in February 2019 to the Commercial Unit at the Prisons Headquarters and in May 2020 to the Public Relations Unit at the Prisons Headquarters.
After a hard day’s work, DSP Opoku relaxes by listening to music, writing and playing basketball.
He is the last among three siblings to Mr. William Freeman Opoku and Madam Veronica Naana Essien from Akim- Oda in the Eastern region.
Advice
DSP Opoku advised the youth to stay focused to realize their dreams by taking their studies very serious to become responsible and productive citizens.
The Ghana Prisons Service as a key stakeholder of the Criminal Justice System of Ghana contributes to the maintenance of internal security by maintaining an efficient, humane, and safe reformatory penal system operated within the laws of Ghana.
The Service is committed to undertaking the safe custody, humane treatment, reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates to make them responsible, productive, and law-abiding citizens to ensure public safety.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
He once sold kenkey to pay his school fees, and now wears the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police. DCOP Kofi Sarpong, police officer and award winning gospel musician is charting a journey few could script.
In an interview with The Spectator chronicling his rise, the newly promoted DCOP took us on his journey through the ranks.
Early Life
“I was born in Berekum in the Bono Region, then Brong Ahafo, to Comfort Yeboah, affectionately called Maame Yaa, and the late Chief Inspector Kofi Sarpong,” he said.
His family story is one of resilience. His mother had two children before her husband died in an accident. She later married Kofi Sarpong’s father, a police officer, and had two more, himself and his junior brother. “So we are four, unfortunately one is deceased, just last year, so we are three now.”
School and struggle
He started at Berekum Methodist Primary under the old ‘Sito’ system. In Form Two, he moved to Obuasi to stay with a guardian for his Form Three education, then returned to Berekum for Form Four. He later attended Berekum Senior High School where he studied General Arts and shone as an athlete, a sprinter in the 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay.
After O-Levels, his batch was the last to write the exams, his dream was to become a teacher because of his love for children. But financial hardship forced a detour.
“I decided to help myself by going to buy maize and started preparing kenkey to sell at lorry parks and markets in Berekum,” he recalled.
According to him, the people from Berekum know this story. “I can make all types of kenkey, Fante Kenkey, Ga Komi and others. Don’t be surprised to see Kofi Sarpong Kenkey one day.” The proceeds paid his upkeep.
For this reason, he advised the youth “Don’t see life as a smooth journey but find something prudent to do to help yourself in difficult times.”
After grinding his education to a halt due to financial challenges, he now holds a Degree in Public Administration from GIMPA, a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy and Project Management, plus other higher certificates, with more in the offing.
The Police Call
When teaching did not materialise immediately, he moved to stay with his father at Osu, Accra. In 1994, he visited former IGP Nana Owusu-Nsia at Police Headquarters, who told about ongoing police enlistment.
In his head he declined, but outwardly he accepted to try reluctantly. Later, watching TV news and seeing long queues of young people aspiring to join the Police, he was inspired to reconsider.
He went to Berekum for his certificate. Accra enlistment had closed, so he joined the Kumasi exercise. He was selected, passed the exams and went to the Koforidua Police Training School, Galloway. After passing out, he was posted to the Logistics Unit at Police Headquarters.
At Headquarters, a senior officer encouraged young constables to further their education. He took a course in Purchasing and Supply via distance learning from a UK institution. 
Upon completion, the Police administration promoted him from Constable Class One to Chief Inspector, a leap that paved the way for him to enrol at the Police Academy. He graduated as ASP, and the climb to DCOP began.
“The officer corps starts from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) from the cadet,” he explained. “When you graduate from the Police Academy, you are awarded ASP, and you move to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), that’s when I released album to start my music career professionally.”
From there, he rose to Superintendent of Police (SP), Chief Superintendent, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and now Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP). Next is Commissioner of Police (COP).
Music found him in Sudan
On peacekeeping duty in Sudan, officers from different nations came together to hold fellowship led by a Nigerian officer. In December that year, with top-ranked officers present, Kofi Sarpong led the service to the admiration of all.
On his return to Ghana, a Colonel, who was a Matron at 37 Military Hospital and a member of the 37 Methodist-Presbyterian Church invited him to their harvest service. He ministered, and as he stepped out of church, a man approached him with an offer to record him. He declined.
Days later, at the office, the man, Ernest Kwesi, who owned Media Excel Production sent an elderly man to pursue him. He still declined. This compelled Ernest Kwesi himself to visit him at the office. “He told me he had seen something in me.”
Just after Ernest Kwesi left,Kofi Sarpong wrote to then Director General/Welfare, Mohammed Alhassan, and Paul Tawiah Quaye the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the time. “He opened the letter and said he had been waiting all this while because he had seen me perform at police officers’ events.”
He was summoned to the IGP’s office, a call which scared him, however, it was a good news; his request was approved. Against this backdrop, he informed Ernest Kwesi who quickly visited that evening with highlife musician Akwaboah Jnr., who taught him his first song, ‘Me ko nso hw3 mu’, and they went to the studio.
A song earlier recorded in reggae by Zapp Mallet was totally transformed by Nacee, so they released both versions on the album. Nacee, he says, hugely supported promotion, as did Mark Okraku-Mantey.
He also acknowledge Oware Jnr. who also wrote songs for him.
After his maiden album’s success, police leadership congratulated him. He says he is happy to have inspired other officers to write to the Service to pursue other interests.
An autobiography, he reveals, is in the offing.
Family and food
He is married to Mrs Salomey Sarpong with three children, two boys and a girl: Nana Nketiah, Maame Afia Yeboah Sarpong and Papa Kwabena Aseda Sarpong.
His hobbies are watching athletics and being with family. His favourite foods are fufu and konkonte with groundnut soup.
On music, he teased a collaboration with a top Nigerian artiste, promising fans “hot praises” soon.
He concluded by thanking Ghanaians for their support since his promotion, and thanked the Inspector General of Police for his guidance.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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WHEN some of her pupils failed to show up at school, Mary Adotei did not always assume they were absent. Sometimes, she went looking for them.
In the communities where she taught, getting a child into the classroom could require more than preparing lessons. Mrs Adotei remembers occasions when she had to visit the homes of pupils, bathe them, prepare them and bring them to school herself.
“There were times I had to go to the homes of some of the children, bathe them and bring them to school,” she recalled.
It is a memory that captures much of her journey over the years as a teacher, a profession she entered without knowing it would become central to her identity.
Now, after years of working with children and communities, Mrs Adotei is taking lessons from the classroom into a new arena.
She is contesting the position of Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa (AOB) Constituency in the Central Region, hoping to use her experience working with people to contribute to the welfare of women in the constituency.
But her story begins in the classroom.
After completing her basic and secondary education, Mrs Adotei spent 12 years working as a pupil teacher before she had the opportunity to receive professional training.
In 2006, she entered Fosu College of Education and completed her training in 2011 with a Diploma in Basic Education.
She returned to the classroom and has remained there since, teaching in different communities before moving to her current school, Catholic Boys Basic School in Breman Asikuma, in 2019.
The years have given her a front-row seat to the transformation education can bring.
Some of the children she once taught have grown into professionals, carrying the lessons they learnt in her classroom into hospitals, schools, offices and other workplaces.
Mrs Adotei said she had encountered former pupils who were now doctors, nurses, teachers and even a lawyer.
For a teacher, she said, such moments bring a special kind of satisfaction and reinforce the reason she remains passionate about education.
Her journey, however, has not been without difficult moments.
Teaching in local communities sometimes meant dealing with circumstances that went beyond academic work. Some pupils needed encouragement, personal attention and practical help before they could even settle down to learn.
Those experiences taught her that the challenges confronting people cannot always be solved from a distance. That understanding has followed her into her political activities.
Mrs Adotei has been involved in the NDC for years and previously served as a branch treasurer. She has also supported women in her branch, including assisting some to access medical treatment and providing help to families when the need arose.
She is now making her third attempt at becoming the constituency’s Women’s Organiser.
Her motivation is linked to what she has seen around her.
Mrs Adotei wants women in the constituency to have access to skills and opportunities that can help them become more economically independent.
She believes her years as a teacher have prepared her for the work, too, because the profession has taught her to listen, communicate, understand different circumstances and work patiently with people.
For her, the transition from teacher to political organiser is therefore not a complete departure from the path she has followed.
The classroom taught her to work with individuals. Politics, she hopes, will give her the opportunity to work with a wider group of women.
If elected, Mrs Adotei intends to continue teaching while taking up her political responsibilities. She said she would organise her time to attend meetings and constituency activities without abandoning her duties to her pupils.
Away from school and politics, she is a wife and mother of two sons who are pursuing their degrees at university.
Her message to young girls is shaped by everything she has seen education do for the children she has taught.
For Mrs Adotei, education remains one of the strongest tools available to young people, especially girls seeking to build better futures.
She wants them to stay in school, pursue further education and acquire skills that will prepare them for the future.
“Nowadays, you cannot go forward without education,” she said.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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