The Role of External Communication in Enhancing Corporate Image. A Case Study of the Ghana Police Service.

Abstract

The Ghana Police Service is an institution mandated by Ghana's 1992 constitution to maintain peace and security and to protect lives and property. However, actions and acts by some unscrupulous police officers put the image of the police service into disrepute. There was the need for proactive steps to reach out to members of the public through the use of external communication in a bid to protect and maintain the image of the police service. There was therefore the need to find out the extent to which external communications activities conducted by the Police Public Affairs Department have improved public knowledge on policing and impacted on the image of the police service. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which police external communications have impacted on the image of the police service. The study sought to: determine the extent to which external communications improve public knowledge and enhance corporate image; examine the link between responses and its impact on image of the police service; determine why external communication by the police attract audience. The research established that, the Ghana Police Service external communications via specially created the anti-crime TV programme CrimeFighters TV has improved public knowledge on policing in the country and also enhanced corporate image of the service. It was also established that audio/visuals as well as content for the programme was good and appealing to audience. Responses on the programme were deemed genuine and resources persons were also found to be credible which gives credibility to the programme and the Ghana Police Service as a whole.