Govt implementing package to facilitate work of security agencies

The Minister of Interior, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, said the government was putting in place comprehensive measures to facilitate the work of security agencies in the country.

He also said the government would provide 425 vehicles, a 40 million-dollar communication network, 20 million dollars riot control equipment, construct buildings and create training opportunities and improve conditions of service of personnel.

Mr Owusu Agyeman announced these when he undertook a day's familiarization visit to the Eastern Regional offices of Police Service, National Fire Service, Immigration Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Koforidua Prison in the New Juaben Municipality on Monday.

Addressing personnel of the Police Service, he said the Kufuor's administration was determination to improve the operational efficiency of the service and had already provided it with 425 vehicles, while a contract for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Police Hospital had been signed.

Mr Owusu Agyeman said the Police would set up an elite Special Security Force to be equipped with helicopters, medical vehicles and that two financiers from the United States had visited the country to study the housing problem of the Police Service and Prison Service for investment.

He said the Ministry of Interior was holding discussions with the Ministry of Defence for senior officers from the two bodies to attend the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College to improve their capacity while assistance was being sought from the United Kingdom and South Africa for the rehabilitation of broken down vehicles.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman said the government took delivery of sanitation equipment worth 3.5 billion cedis for the police and three billion cedis was being sought for the rehabilitation of barracks and plans were advanced to increase the number of police personnel from the current 16,000 to 20,000.

He urged personnel of the services under the Ministry of Interior to be loyal and dedicated to the government of the day and warned personnel who would caught engaging in acts of indiscipline would be tried in the civil court instead of the service inquiry system to prove that everyone was before the law.

The Eastern Regional Police Commander, Mr Victor Gyakpata, who conducted the Minister round to inspect the deplorable conditions at the barracks, said the Services were faced by inadequate housing, vehicles and personnel problems.

Breifing the media earlier after a meeting with the Eastern Regional Security Committee, Mr Owusu Agyeman commended the Committee for its efforts at solving security problems in the Eastern Region including chieftaincy, ethnic and religious conflicts.

He announced that joint military/police patrols would be organised along the highway and the Kwahu-Tafo-Afram Plains road to deal with robbery and reckless driving during the Christmas and New Year period.

The Minister was accompanied by the Inspector General of Police, Nana Owusu Nsiah, the Acting Director General of Prisons, Mr William Asiedu, the Acting Chief Fire Officer, Mr Emmanuel Atenga, the Director of Immigration Services, Ms Elizabeth Adjei, National Co-ordinator of the NADMO, Brigadier Joseph Odei (retired) and the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Edwin Barnes.