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She can simply be described as a transformational leader. This is because she is energetic, enthusiastic and passionate in whatever she does as a police commander. Not only is she concerned and involved in the process; she is also focused on helping every member of her team succeed. These qualities are what have made ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, a force to reckon with in policing. She is currently the first female Commandant of the Ghana Police Command and Staff College (GPCSC) based at Winneba in the Central Region. Policing laurels ACP Yaa Tiwaa, as she is affectionately called, has always strived to be the first or among the best in whatever she does even among her male counterparts. Although she was recruited into the Ghana Police Service on July 27, 1990, she has risen through the ranks faster than most of her squad mates by dint of hard work and her desire to achieve higher academic laurels. A search through the records revealed that most of her squad mates, are currently Inspectors while she is an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), six steps up on the police ranking structure. One may ask how she was able to leap to that level, especially in a historically male-oriented paramilitary organisation like the Police Service. The Mirror caught up with her at her GPCSC base to interact with her as the Ghana Police Service is about celebrating 60 years of Female Policing in Ghana and 25 years of Police Ladies Association (POLAS). Recounting her achievements, ACP Tiwaa stated that when she passed out, she was posted to the Police Hospital Accounts Section as a constable. "After the 18 months probation, I was promoted to the rank of a Sergeant in 1992 because I enlisted with a Diploma in Business Studies Accounting Option which I obtained at the Kumasi Polytechnic between 1988 and 1990," she disclosed. Having been promoted to Sergeant, ACP Yaa Tiwaa did not rest on her oars. She decided to enrol with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana in 1995 and passed the Level Two examinations successfully. Hence, she was promoted to Chief Inspector. This granted her a direct entry to the Police College in October 1998. Best Cadet In May 1999, out of a class of 48 (46 men and two women), she was adjudged the All Round Best Cadet and the Best Student in Humanities making her the second female to take that award at that time. In recognition of her remarkable accomplishment, a special staff of honour was ordered from the United Kingdom (UK) by the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) which was presented to her by the late Professor Evans Atta Mills who was then the Vice President. Secondments She told The Mirror that "Along the line, I was made the administrator at the Police Hospital when the person in charge went on a Peace Keeping Mission. Later, I also had the opportunity to go on a Peace Mission in Kosovo where I acted as the Logistics and Finance Officer for Missing Persons Unit." With her international peacekeeping operations experience in Kosovo under her staff belt, she was posted to the Police Headquarters Finance section. However, she was granted a three-year study leave to pursue a programme in the UK with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). ACP Yaa Tiwaa, who by this time had demonstrated a knack for excellence in the academic area, �conquered� all her papers before the stipulated time and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2006. Her ACCA qualifications certified her to practice as an accountant in several jurisdictions including the United Kingdom and Ghana. "Upon my return, I was attached to the Controller and Accountant General's Department to learn first-hand information on Public Sector Accounting. Therefore, after 10 months, I was assigned to head the Commercial Crime Unit (CCRU) of the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Sevice for three years," she explained. Interestingly, in addition to a tall list of achievements, she is also a Certified Fraud Examiner. Due to her pioneering abilities and her record of turning departments around to achieve enviable heights, ACP Yaa Tiwaa was made to bring the then defunct CID Training School, which was located at the Police Training Depot, back to life. There, she succeeded in training 550 detectives to help find proof of wrongdoing or to make recommendations for rectifying financial anomalies. The Police Staff Command On November 6, 2013, when the IGP, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, established the GPCSC at Winneba, she was appointed the first female Commandant of the college. A tour round the college shows that ACP Tiwaa is keen on adding adequate and modern infrastructure to the college to make the place conducive for officers on training programmes. Although the college is less than a year old, three batches of officers making a total of 106 have passed through the staff college. "The officers are generally between the ranks of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP and Chief Superintendents managing divisions, districts and regional Police Institutions," she explained. She disclosed that in the future, the police administration would introduce diploma and master�s degree programmes at the college and also organise seminars on firearms, crime scene management, and cyber fraud among others to make the police abreast of policing round the globe. Early education/family background ACP Yaa Tiwaa, a second child among seven siblings, was born on August 19, 1969 at Konongo in the Asante Akyem district of the Ashanti Region. Born to Mr Kwame Adiya-Nimo and Nana Adwoa Agyekumwaa II, Queenmother of Banka, she started school at the Roman Catholic Primary and Middle Schools. She had her secondary education at the Bompata Secondary before enrolling at the Kumasi Polytechnic. She is married to Mr Ofosu Addo-Danquah, a lecturer at the Department of French at the University of Cape Coast. She has a daughter and two sons. ACP Yaa Tiwaa who is a die-hard Catholic worships with the St Peter's Parish at Osu and is the Vice-Chairperson of the Pastoral Council.