A police report in Ghana means one of three different papers, and the one you need depends on who is asking for it:

You need it for Ask for Where
Replacing a lost Ghana Card, passport, SIM or bank card A police extract of your report The station where you reported
An insurance claim after a crash A police accident report Regional Police Headquarters, or the Central MTTD in Accra
A court case, or a dispute the police investigated An investigation report CID Headquarters
A visa, a job or study abroad A police clearance, which is different again See the clearance guide

— Police clearance certificates

Reporting a crime or a loss

Go to the police station that covers the place where it happened, not the one nearest your house, and ask for the charge office (the front desk).

  1. Tell the officer on duty what happened. For a theft or a robbery say what was taken, when and where, and who you suspect if you know. For a loss, say what you lost and roughly where.
  2. Make a statement. For a crime, an officer writes down your account or you write it yourself, and you sign it. Read it before you sign.
  3. Ask for the station diary number (or the case number) and the name of the officer handling it. Write both down. Without them, nobody at the station can find your report next week.
  4. Ask for an extract if you need proof of the report for someone else.

Bring your Ghana Card or passport, and for a lost item anything showing it was yours: the box of a phone with its IMEI, a photocopy of a lost ID card, a bank statement for a lost card.

In an emergency

Call 191 or 112 first. A report at the station comes after you are safe.

The police extract

An extract is a copy of what was written in the station’s records about your report, stamped by the station. It is what other offices ask for:

  • The NIA, to replace a lost, stolen or damaged Ghana Card: it wants the original extract, scans it and hands it back.
  • Banks, to replace a card or a cheque book, or to support a fraud claim.
  • Mobile networks, to replace a SIM after a theft.
  • The Bank of Ghana or a commercial bank, to exchange burnt or damaged notes. The extract should list the serial numbers of the notes.

The Ghana Police Service does not publish a fee for an extract on its list of paid services. If you are asked to pay, ask for a receipt.

— Replacing lost documents — Declaration of loss template

Accident reports

After a crash, the police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) investigates, and your insurer will want its report before it pays. The official fee is ₵80, paid at a Regional Police Headquarters finance office or the Central MTTD in Accra.

Report the crash promptly, and before you move the vehicles if nobody is hurt and it is safe to wait. Take photographs of both vehicles, their number plates and the road.

— Driving in Accra

The other official fees

These are the police’s own published fees:

Service Fee Where
Investigation report, for a party to a case or their lawyer ₵150 CID Headquarters
Police accident report ₵80 Regional Police HQ or Central MTTD
Police clearance, resident ₵150 Nima Divisional Police HQ, Accra
Police clearance, non-resident ₵2,000 Nima Divisional Police HQ, Accra
Checking a clearance is genuine ₵50 CID Headquarters
Checking an imported car is not stolen ₵100 CID Headquarters (Interpol)

Reporting a crime and making a statement cost nothing. Nobody is entitled to money for taking down your report.

When nothing happens

Go back with your diary number and ask for the investigator by name. If a report goes nowhere, or an officer asks for money, you can complain to the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) of the Ghana Police Service, or to the regional commander.

— Ghana’s regulators, and who to complain to