Interior Minister urges immigration officers to maintain good image
The Minister of the Interior, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, on Tuesday asked immigration officers to endeavour to maintain an image that would reflect discipline and integrity.
“In whatever situation, do not bend the rules. Work as a group and try to purge the Ghana Immigration Service of indiscipline and suspicion of corruption.”
Dr Kumbuor made the call when addressing the Second Conference of Regional Commanders of Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in Accra.
He said while the GIS was performing well, “disturbing stories” about personnel misconducting themselves often did not auger well for the image of the service.
Dr Kumbuor said even if those stories were rumours, the minds of the public had to be disabused of them, because they still did not paint a good image of the service.
Touching on the role of the GIS in Election 2012, he reminded the officers of the need to remain neutral and loyal to the State.
The Sector Minister said while the officers might individually had some political leanings as human beings, “do well as personnel to keep your political biases to yourselves”.
Dr Kumbuor said personnel of GIS as other security agencies had been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring peace and order.
“It would therefore be most unprofessional and out of conduct, for you to be seen as taking sides by the people who trusted that you would dispassionately settle their disputes.”
He noted that Ghana was becoming more attractive to foreigners due to the Ghanaian hospitality and its suitability for economic activities due to the discovery of oil and sound economic policies.
“In promoting the country however, there is the need to be vigilant and ensure that cross-border crime such as money laundering, illegal arms dealing are checked.”
Dr Kumbuor commended the personnel for establishing a four-year strategic plan (2011-2015) and urged them to ensure that it became viable in theory and practice.
The Director of GIS, DCOP Dr Peter Wiredu, said challenges facing the GIS include; low budgetary allocations, insufficient communication equipment, inadequate logistics and low remuneration.
He said the Service recently received four Nissan Patrols and five Mitsubishi Pick-Ups, five motorcycles, through government and donor funding.
The GIS Director appealed for more assistance because most of the Regional, District Sector and Unit Commands were without vehicles which affected their operations, particularly in enforcement, intelligence gathering and investigations.
He said the GIS made improvement in monitoring with the installation of CCTV cameras at the headquarters, hooking Aflao and Elubo posts to the service’s central network system of capturing biometric data on the entry and exit of travelers.
DCOP Wiredu said the GIS arrested 145 foreigners involved in various illegal activities in the country such as working without authorisation and production of fake traveling documents.
He said 42 people were arrested from various embassies and High Commissions in the country, 75 suspects were arrested at the Kotoka International Airport for attempting to travel on fraudulent documents, and deported and repatriated 158 peoples from various countries.
DCOP Wiredu announced that GIS exceeded its non-tax revenue collection target for the year, as at the end of November, this year, Internally Generated Fund was GHc12,393,097.50 as against the target of GHc10,990,000.
He entreated GIS Regional Commanders to be vigilant and ensure that staff welfare was improved.
“I would particularly urge all Regional Commanders to ensure that discipline is maintained at all times at their work places.”
Source: GNA