Interior Ministry is poised to ensuring internal security - Minister

By Iddi Yire, GNA

Accra, Mar 20, GNA - The Ministry for the Interior is poised to ensuring internal security, a stable and peaceful environment for sustainable national development.

Mr Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister said the Ministry would continue to monitor and evaluate its policies and regulate programmes relating to the protection of life and property, disaster prevention and mitigation, immigration, crime control, prevention and detection, safe custody, reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners. 

"The Ministry will continue to work hard to create the needed secure and peaceful environment conducive for job creation to meet the expectation of our citizenry," Mr Dery stated on Wednesday at the 2018 Annual Review Meeting of the Ministry in Accra.

He said it was prudent for all departments and agencies under the Ministry to take stock of their performance as a Sector during the period under review.

He said the review would enable them know their strengths and weaknesses and capitalise on their strengths to steer the Ministry forward.  

"It is gratifying to note that the implementation of the Sector’s activities for the previous year has yielded a lot of remarkable results with some of the security agencies being equipped with some of their critical operational needs, which were not available."

Mr Dery said the Ghana National Fire Service for instance, had almost completed the process for the procurement of two Hydraulic Platforms, which would hopefully be a great stride in helping to fight fires in high rise buildings. 

He said the Government would ensure that all the agencies under the Ministry got their fair share of equipment and logistics.

He said the Ministry would continue to promote policies and programmes which would ensure the achievement of their mandate of maintaining peace and security in the country.

The Minister said the monitoring exercises undertaken by the Policy Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPBMED) of the Ministry and the recommendations made with respect to the completion of Construction of 1No 4-Story block of Flats - Mile 7 Police Station and Construction of Prefab Police Post at Agbogba resulted in the allocation of funds in the 2019 Budget for the completion of those projects to enable the Ghana Police Service utilize them.

He said within the period under review, the National Peace Council was able to strengthen the capacity of 29 metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the Brong Ahafo Region in conflict resolution, trained 16 women and 14 youth in the Northern Region and 22 members of the Alavanyo/Nkonya Insider Peace Building Committee in conflict management and resolution. 

He said the purpose of the programmes was to equip the people with the skills of resolving and preventing potential conflicts, hence, improving the performance of the Council by reducing the occurrences of conflicts as well as maintaining peace and security.

He said in 2018, the Ghana National Fire Service managed 4,896 of undesired fires against the 5,928 undesired fires that was recorded in 2017.

He noted that comparatively, 1,032 fires were reduced in the year 2018; adding that, the implication was that more lives and properties were saved. 

He said this also underscores the need for intensive public education, which had no doubt played a major role in the reduced figures.

He said furthermore, fire safety audit and inspection of premises were carried out at 2,649 premises as against 2,744 target set for the year. 

Mr Dery said the Service also responded to 715 road traffic rescues and undertook 1,538 public fire safety awareness programmes to sensitise the public on fire safety measures. 

Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, Chief Director for the Ministry of the Interior said the review meeting would provide them with the opportunity to discuss the challenges encountered during the year under review and how best to overcome the challenges that might come their way during the execution of their plans for the year 2019.

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