Ghana Prisons Service to ensure safe custody of prisoners

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA - The Ghana Prisons Service would in 2016 undertake measures to ensure safe custody of prisoners and acquire agricultural machinery to revamp the agricultural projects of the service.

The Service would also continue to provide skills training and formal education for convicted prisoners and juveniles in custody and provide welfare needs of inmates.

The Service has already completed the special court project under the 'Justice for all' programme at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons resulting in the release of 132 remand prisoners.

This together with normal discharges reduced the overcrowding rate from 48.16 per cent to 44.40 per cent during the period under review.

Mr Seth Terkper, Minister of Finance who disclosed this at the presentation of the 2016 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament on Friday, said inmates are being provided with skills training and formal education, prepared and presented 17 candidates for the Basic Education Certificate Examination and 34 candidates for the National Vocational Training Institute Exams in fulfilment of its mandate to rehabilitate prisoners and successfully reintegrate them into society.

He said the Ghana Police Service expanded the Police Visibility and Accessibility to all regional capitals and selected urban areas in 2015 and also created 309 police stations, 75 Districts and 30 Divisions across the country and deployed 1,900 personnel to 186 newly created duty points and increased their involvement in traffic management and public engagement.

He said in 2016, the Service would continue to intensify visibility, day and night patrols across the country, expand the intelligence-led policing through the Reward to Informant System and collaborate with other security agencies to apprehend and prosecute offenders.

'The Service expanded the highway patrol units through the establishment of 12 operational structures at major roads to fight armed robbery and intensified the operations of the Marine Police Unit by procuring 33 boats for the Western, Greater and Eastern regions to secure our waters.'

The Minister said works on the Intensive Care Unit at the Police hospital are completed and inaugurated whilst the construction of the police hospital expansion project is ongoing.

Highlighting on conflict and disaster management programmes, Mr Terkper said the National Peace Council engaged all the political parties and other stakeholders on strategies to ensure peaceful general election, in 2016.

'To reduce chieftaincy related violence in the country, the Council engaged a select side of the Regional Houses of Chiefs in Northern, Brong Ahafo, Upper East and Upper West regions on ascension trends. These engagements will be extended to the Western, Volta, Central, Ashanti and Greater Accra regions in 2016.'

He said in 2016 the Council would mediate actual and potential conflicts, create awareness on non-violent responses to conflicts, and organize trainings for Regional and Districts Peace Councils.

'NADMO (National Disaster Management Organisation) attended to various disasters (Domestic, Market, Industrial, Gas and chemical explosions and Bush fires) in Tema Central Medical Stores, Circle Goil fuel filling station, Ablekuma North, Kokompe Industrial Spare Parts Shops, Okai Koi North, New Achimota Market, Ablekuma North, Odorkor and other parts of the country.'

'NADMO responded to 15,000 victims of flood disasters as against the 2014 NADMO figure of 18,550 as a result of desilting of drains in major flood prone areas and aggressive public education on disaster prevention and mitigation.'

He said in 2016, NADMO would organise media discussions on disaster risk reduction and public education campaigns on disaster management.

The organisation would continue to equip district disaster volunteer groups and support disaster victims with relief items.

Mr Terkper said the Ghana National Fire Service attended to 2,187 fire outbreaks saving many lives and several properties as a result of improvement in time spent to respond to fire and other emergencies averaging between 10-15 minutes compared to previous years‟ response time of 20-30 minutes as against the international standard of four minutes.

He said the Service carried out public education on fire safety and prevention on 104 radio and television programmes, five market and lorry parks, eight public institutions and other organisations.

'To ensure the compliance of building regulations, the Service inspected and issued 600 fire certificates to various organisations and establishments nationwide and issued 1,200 Fire Certificates to public and commercial premises.'

In 2016, the Service would continue the inspection and re-inspection of premises to issue new and renew fire certificates, train fire volunteer squads in the rural communities and intensify fire prevention and safety education.

The National Commission on Small Arms marked and recorded 10,000 weapons into the database system installed at the Ghana Armed Force and another database system at the Ghana Police Service.

'In 2016, the commission will continue the national arms marking project, collect, sensitise and destroy confiscated weapons, intensify public education and raise awareness of the effects of armed violence on development.

'The commission will also mobilise blacksmiths into associations and pursue skills development and alternative livelihood schemes.'

On crime management programme, Mr Terkper said the Narcotic Control Board recorded a total of 23 narcotics drug arrest cases and a total weight of 760.64kg postal seizures were made.

The Board sensitised 80 communities and media houses, 281 schools nationwide with a total audience of 47,567 and 44 faith-based institutions with a total audience of 12,525 on narcotics and psychotropic substances under the community based sensitization programme.

He said the board also counseled 450 drug addicts under the counseling, rehabilitation and social reintegration programme.

In 2016, he said the Board would continue with their sensitisation programmes for schools and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies as well as organise special operation for interdiction, running of informants, Inter-Agency Collaboration and Monitoring and Control of Precursor Chemicals.

The Ghana Immigration Service organised targeted and promotional courses for 77 officers and men in different disciplines and trained revenue collectors in the use of e-monitor machines and carried out intelligence lead operations resulting in the arrest of 168 illegal immigrants of which 110 were repatriated.

He said in 2016, the Service would continue rigorous enforcement of immigration laws by inspecting factories, hotels, churches, dwelling places and mining sites among others.

'In 2015, the National Migration Policy was approved by Cabinet and the Service organised educational campaigns to sensitise the public on the policy in the three northern regions. The Service intends, in 2016, to continue with this exercise in the in the seven remaining regions,' he noted.

He said the Ghana Refugee Board completed the Draft National Policy on Refugee Management (Refugee Commission Bill).

The Board granted Refugee Status Determination to 74 asylum seekers from various countries, continued with the issuance of refugee Identity Card and completed local integration process for over 2000 former Liberian refugees

'In 2016, Mr. Speaker, the Board will assist in the general wellbeing, care, maintenance, management of refugees and protection of asylum seekers in the country. The Board will facilitate the registering and issuing of Convention Travel Documents and ID cards to refugees to minimise the negative impact and optimise the potential impact of migration for Ghana's Development.'

The sector Minister said the Gaming Commission conducted an inventory of all gaming machines in use in the country resulting in the discovery of 660 Slots Machines, 137 Tables and 67 Roulettes in use by Gaming Operators.

He said the Commission licensed 18 casinos of good standing, 13 sports betting companies and five route operation facilities that are scattered in major cities notably Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Sunyani, Aflao, Swedru, Tarkwa, Obuasi, Ho and Takoradi, and facilitated the drafting of its Legislative Instrument to support the Gaming Act 2006, (Act 721).

'The Commission will in 2016, organise public sensitisation campaigns and undertake monitoring visits to casinos and gaming centres across the country.'

He said for the implementation of the programmes and activities, GH₵ 1,370,488,656.00 have been allocated. Out of this, GH₵ 1,316,160,582.00 is from Government, GH₵ 31,403,958.00 from Internally Generated Funds and GH₵22,924,116.00 is from Development Partners.

GNA