Government institutes award scheme for police, security personnel

Page 14, Jan 26, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE government has instituted a special scheme to reward police officers and other security personnel who actively help in the arrest of dealers in narcotic drugs, the Minister of Interior has said.
Mr Kwamena Bartels, who was answering questions in Parliament today stated it was for this reason that two police officers were rewarded handsomely for arresting two police officers for escorting some drug traffickers from the Western Region.
The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhaji Abubakar Sumani had asked the minister what steps the ministry was taking to curb the involvement of police personnel in drug-related matters.
“Mr Speaker, to ensure that the personnel of the Narcotics Unit of the Police Service are less attracted to financial inducements from drug barons, a special financial package is being worked out for personnel and other agencies that handle drug issues”, he said.
Mr Bartels said the Police Service had embarked on a house cleaning exercise to get rid of the few bad nuts allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
“In instances where police personnel have been cited in alleged drug-related cases, not only punitive departmental sanctions have been taken by way of dismissals against those found culpable, but also they have been put before the law courts for prosecution”, he said.
Mr Bartels added that the service had also instituted a comprehensive background check and vetting processes to ensure that individuals who were recruited into the service were not of questionable character.
He noted that the drug problem was a universal one and the worse of it was that Ghana’s entry points were gradually being used as transit points for trafficking, a development that was of great concern to the government.
Mr Bartels stated as a result, the government was reviewing the PNDC Law 236 with the view to upgrading the drug schedules and also incorporating new international conventions on drug trafficking.
In addition, a joint police personnel and Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) officials was being established to handle the drug menace.
He said, already a special education campaign had started along the coast of the country to educate coastal communities about the activities of drug traffickers.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey was also in the House to answer some questions posed by some MPs bordering on the setting up of courts and provision of infrastructure for courts in their various constituencies.
When he caught the eye of the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, the MP for Upper West Akim, Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah questioned the Attorney-General on the cause of the delay in the setting up of the Financial Administration Tribunal as required by Act 564 (2003).
Mr Ghartey said the Judicial Service had been constrained in terms of additional courts to handle cases falling under Act 564.
He said the government released funds under the 2007 budget for the construction of a new court complex to deal with all commercial crimes adding that the complex would also provide courts for procurement tribunals and investment-related land courts.
“Construction is progressing very fast and it is expected the project will be handed over to the service for the full operation of the courts before the end of the year”, he said.
Mr Ghartey said, however that, a judge had already been assigned a court room to start hearing cases falling under the financial administration, especially cases involving theft of public funds.
He also told the House in an answer to a question by MP for Sefwi-Akontombra, Mr Herod Cobbina that, district assemblies, by their mandate expected to provide court houses and accommodation for judges and magistrates saying that “if the assembly has infrastructure in place, the Judicial Service would post a judge or magistrate to man the court”.