General News of Saturday, 21 January 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-01-21
Minister Designate for Interior under the Akufo-Addo-led government
The former Member of Parliament (MP) for Lawra Nandom and Minister-designate for Interior says the President Akufo-Addo government would not abdicate its protection and security role to the citizenry.
Ambrose Dery said in consonance with Article 200 of the Constitution, the government is going to ensure that there is a strict enforcement of existent legislation so as to create a conducive microenvironment for private intervention to beef up security.
Former Youth and Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga, who is on the vetting committee was worried about the police-to-citizen ratio and wanted to know if the government would consider strengthening of private security agencies to provide security services for people to hire.
Also, the MP for Bawku Central wanted to know from Mr Dery the viability of the right to bear guns as private security companies.
But Mr Dery said, “Much as we would want to make use of private security where necessary, we would not abdicate our role to provide that cover through the police and other agencies.”
He added that there are avenues to raise funds for the engagement of the Ghana police in a program in South Sudan, which the United Nation (UN) is happy about and is paying for.
According to him, there is also the Private Public Partnership agreement where the services of the Ghana Prison Service is used by the public and paid for.
Mr Dery said he believes there would be some internally generated funds that would come in, assuring that government would get the resources to make good the promise made to Ghanaians.
Regarding housing for the security services he said it is one of the priority areas government is looking at, promising a national barrack regeneration program with Public Private Partnership arrangement being one of the options.
He revealed that the program would first start with the Police Service and then the Prisons Service.
