Ghana Police inaugurates anti-human traffic unit

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in collaboration with UNICEF on Friday inaugurated an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Police Service in Tamale to deal with issues relating to human exploitation and trafficking of persons.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Isaac Ken Yeboah, Northern Regional Police Commander said the Northern Region was the last in the country to have inaugurated the unit and called for a detachment of the unit from the main police stations in order to ensure that victims were encouraged to freely and willingly report such offense.

He said it was sometimes difficult to get shelter for victims of human trafficking, adding that, “Because of that we sometimes put victims in police cells like a common criminal, this is not the best”.

DCOP Yeboah suggested the need for the police administration to give adequate capacity building and training to personnel under the unit to ensure that they were able to deliver their jobs satisfactorily.

Commissioner of Police (COP) Prosper Abbloh, Director-General of the CID of the Ghana Police Service who inaugurated the unit said since its inception in 2008, the unit had decisively rescued and reintegrated 433 persons with their families out of which 293 were children.

He said 98 cases had also been dealt with completely and appealed to stakeholders for a more collaborative working relationship to put the unit in its right perspective.

Mr. Patrick Zakari-Saa, Northern Regional Director of the Department of Women said human trafficking meant the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, trading or receipt of persons within and across national borders by use of threats, force or other forms of coercion.

He said in the Northern Region, obnoxious cultural norms, unmodified traditional value systems and entrenched religious injunctions seem to play down on the human value for education, training, management of women and children.

Source: GNA