Alumni in Focus

Miss Elaina

Deputy Narcotics Control Officer

Featured in our newsletter this month is an alumna who has attended multiple training at the RTC. She recently joined us for the virtual Fraudulent Document and International Border Interdiction Training. In a phone interview with her, she shared with us how the training she received at the RTC has helped enhance her career. Let’s hear what she has to say!

Briefly introduce yourself and your law enforcement career.

My name is Elaina, a Deputy Narcotics Control Officer with the Narcotics Control Commission in Ghana. I joined the commission in 2011 and I have been working with the Enforcement and Control Directorate since then. I have served in various positions and I am currently the head of the Enforcement and Control Unit at the Aflao Border post.

What were your major takeaways from the International Border Interdiction Training? How do you intend to apply the RTC knowledge and skills acquired in your career?

This is my first experience working at a land border post and this course came at the right time for me. Some of the modules were very enlightening: concealments in suspended compartments in gas tanks and the lecture on identifying fake documents and understanding components of machine-readable information on passports. Upon my return to my post, I shared the course materials with the various team leaders and we have planned to organize some training sessions where I will share the knowledge I received with my colleagues.

You have attended multiple training courses at the RTC. How have these courses helped to enhance your career as a drug enforcement officer?

I have had the opportunity to receive multiple trainings at the RTC which has helped shape my career as a drug law enforcement officer. The first trainings I attended were a Drug Law Enforcement Course in 2013 and an advanced course in 2014. Some of the course modules included illicit drug trafficking methods, drug investigations, undercover operations, managing informants, forensics, and fingerprint collection. At the time I attended these courses, I was a shift supervisor at the Kotoka International Airport enforcement unit. After every training I attended at the RTC, I had the opportunity to share the knowledge with my colleagues back at the office, especially my shift team at the airport and we were able to make a number of arrests during our shifts. During my time at the airport, my shift team earned the accolade the “arresting shift”. As a result of the successes that we recorded as a shift supervisor, I was made the first female head of the Kotoka International Airport Cargo Unit in 2015. The training that largely influenced my leadership style was the Leadership for Women in Law Enforcement course that I attended in December 2017. This course enabled me to bring out the best in each member of my team, capitalizing on their strengths and using even their weaknesses to the institution’s advantage. These actions enabled me to influence and motivate colleagues and subordinates to achieve organizational vision, goals and strategies. The knowledge I acquired on this course helped my leadership style so much so that it motivated me to acquire a master’s degree in Leadership and Management Studies. As the head of the Enforcement and Control Unit at the Aflao land border post, I am more equipped with the needed skills, knowledge and experience to execute my duties with confidence.

What is your most memorable RTC experience?

My most memorable RTC experience is the enabling environment of interacting with officers from other agencies from Ghana and other neighboring countries. This networking opportunity promotes camaraderie which makes it easier for officers to reach out to other alumni when they need assistance and information on a case they are working on.

Do you have any additional comments to share with RTC Alumni?

I wish to encourage all alumni to continue to apply the knowledge they acquired. Also, they should make it a habit to always share the knowledge and skills with their colleagues who didn’t have the opportunity to attend. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Director and the entire team at the RTC for always facilitating courses that are geared towards building the capacities of law enforcement officers and strengthening institutions to fight transnational border crimes. Continue the good work!

Thank you for sharing such wonderful feedback with us. We look forward to hearing more about your successes in the near future.