Page 19: Daily Graphic, August 27, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A DIRECTOR at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Samuel D. Anku, says citizen participation in environmental issues will be greatly enhanced if there is access to information law to enhance accessibility to environmental information.
That way, he said, citizen’s participation in decision-making processes on the environment would not only be effective but also maintain trust and confidence between the government and the citizens.
“Confidentiality of information on grounds of national security provide a broad cloak while repressive measures for wrongful disclosure by government officials and the lack of sanctions for failure to provide access do not encourage access to information,” he noted.
Mr Anku, who is a Director of Intersectoral Networks Division at the EPA, was speaking at a round-table discussion on “Our environment, our economy, our democracy,” in Accra.
He said the passage of the Right to Information Bill would strengthen citizen access to environmental information.
It was organised by the Governance Africa Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.
He said for public participation to be effective, the local people must understand the concepts of environmental democracy in order to be able to contribute to the decision-making process.
He stressed the need for the government to firmly legalise statutory environmental committees at the decentralised levels and assure their effective and proactive functioning with a broad environmental scope.
“These decentralised structures should play a key role in planning, monitoring, early warning and information management,” he said.
Mr Anku said as Ghana strove to implement poverty reduction and environmental sustainability strategies, strong mechanisms for implementation of access rights could help create new economic opportunities for poor people and promote equity and social justice.
He said when citizens were conscious of their rights, they were able to demand accountability and responsibility on the part of their government.
In a welcoming address, the Executive Director of the Governance Africa Foundation, Mr Kwaku Baa Owusu, noted that Ghana, just like other countries, would have to exploit its resources to sustain itself and to ensure the well-being of its people.
He, however, said that exploitation must be done within a framework that did not compromise the sanctity of Article 36 (9) of the 1992 Constitution.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffour, said the threat of climate change was real and had the potential of adversely affecting Ghana’s plans for sustainable economic growth, food security and the health of the citizenry.
He said the negative impacts of climate change could undermine the government’s plans and assumptions on economic growth, health, social protection, agriculture, fisheries and trade.
“With careful planning and commitment, however, some of the damaging effects of climate change can be reduced and positive changes can be turned to economic advantage,” he said.
Dr Duffour said the ministry would seek economic benefits from climate mitigation by adopting innovative approaches in collaboration with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to trapping carbon through conservation of existing forests, rehabilitating former forest areas and developing new plantations.
Such measures, he said, should bring their own financial rewards by enabling investors to obtain carbon credits on the commercial market.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
19 FACE PROBE. At CEPS for fraud, etc
Front Page: Daily Graphic, August 26, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
NINETEEN officials of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) are being investigated for alleged extortion, fraud, smuggling and abuse of office.
The officials are also being investigated for their alleged involvement in freight forwarding, collection of monies as duty without issuing receipts, illegal detention of vehicles and harassment of clients.
The investigations, being undertaken by the Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit of the service, followed petitions submitted to the unit since 2009 by CEPS officials, who report their colleagues; informants, individuals, as well as clients of CEPS such as the Agbogbloshie Fadama Onion Sellers, Ghana National Livestock Breeders and the Ghana Traders Association.
Already investigations into 23 cases reported against CEPS officials have been concluded and appropriate sanctions instituted against the affected personnel.
The Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit was established by CEPS with the assistance of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (USCBP) in 2009 to fight corruption, maintain integrity and minimise the risk of revenue leakage and security breaches in the service.
The Commissioner of CEPS, Mr E. Kumah Lanyon, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that in an environment of perceived or real corruption, the establishment of the unit was essential to instilling discipline and ensuring integrity.
He said the good thing so far was the consciousness the unit had created among staff of CEPS that “somebody is watching and, therefore, has to be careful”.
“I can tell you that the awareness alone it had created is significant, as it has brought sanity into the conduct of officers,” he said.
Mr Lanyon said majority of the cases reported had been dealt with, with some personnel facing various forms of punishment.
He said there had been two or three dismissals but majority of those found guilty had received the appropriate sanctions as enshrined in the code of conduct of CEPS including suspensions, warning or refund of money.
Mr Lanyon said the management of CEPS added intelligence functions to the unit so that the service could deal with any emerging issues to prevent them from escalating.
He cited for instance that the intelligence unit could pick up signals of some officers trying to form a syndicate to cheat and, therefore, alert management to take steps to deal with it before the syndicate succeeded.
“This is to say that the unit must always be ahead of the game and advise management appropriately,” he said.
Mr Lanyon said the team at the Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit had so far not disappointed the management and the staff as even the witnesses or suspects had often applauded them for the impartial manner investigations or complaints were handled.
Story: Albert K. Salia
NINETEEN officials of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) are being investigated for alleged extortion, fraud, smuggling and abuse of office.
The officials are also being investigated for their alleged involvement in freight forwarding, collection of monies as duty without issuing receipts, illegal detention of vehicles and harassment of clients.
The investigations, being undertaken by the Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit of the service, followed petitions submitted to the unit since 2009 by CEPS officials, who report their colleagues; informants, individuals, as well as clients of CEPS such as the Agbogbloshie Fadama Onion Sellers, Ghana National Livestock Breeders and the Ghana Traders Association.
Already investigations into 23 cases reported against CEPS officials have been concluded and appropriate sanctions instituted against the affected personnel.
The Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit was established by CEPS with the assistance of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (USCBP) in 2009 to fight corruption, maintain integrity and minimise the risk of revenue leakage and security breaches in the service.
The Commissioner of CEPS, Mr E. Kumah Lanyon, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that in an environment of perceived or real corruption, the establishment of the unit was essential to instilling discipline and ensuring integrity.
He said the good thing so far was the consciousness the unit had created among staff of CEPS that “somebody is watching and, therefore, has to be careful”.
“I can tell you that the awareness alone it had created is significant, as it has brought sanity into the conduct of officers,” he said.
Mr Lanyon said majority of the cases reported had been dealt with, with some personnel facing various forms of punishment.
He said there had been two or three dismissals but majority of those found guilty had received the appropriate sanctions as enshrined in the code of conduct of CEPS including suspensions, warning or refund of money.
Mr Lanyon said the management of CEPS added intelligence functions to the unit so that the service could deal with any emerging issues to prevent them from escalating.
He cited for instance that the intelligence unit could pick up signals of some officers trying to form a syndicate to cheat and, therefore, alert management to take steps to deal with it before the syndicate succeeded.
“This is to say that the unit must always be ahead of the game and advise management appropriately,” he said.
Mr Lanyon said the team at the Internal Affairs/Intelligence Unit had so far not disappointed the management and the staff as even the witnesses or suspects had often applauded them for the impartial manner investigations or complaints were handled.
How far, Mr IGP?
PAGE 19: Daily Graphic, August 25, 2010.
Asks Albert K. Salia
IT IS a little over a year ago when Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye assumed the mantle of leadership of the Ghana Police Service.
At the time of his appointment, it was an incontrovertible fact as published in the May 19, 2009 issue of the Daily Graphic that patronage had become the gateway to progress in the Ghana Police Service. As a result, professional ethics, competence, efficiency and discipline seemed to have completely broken down. Morale was at its lowest ebb.
Besides those internal challenges, the Ghanaian society had to grapple with an increasing spate of armed robbery and other violent crimes which had created so much fear and panic in the system.
The challenges, which confronted Mr Quaye as the new IGP were, indeed, great and many feared that it was going to be business as usual for him. An article in the May 19, 2009 issue of the Daily Graphic had indicated that Mr Quaye could not afford to disappoint the President and the whole personnel of the service who saw him as someone to turn-around the fortunes of the service. Mr Quaye was also advised to guard against being pushed to the gutters by patronage.
The author argued that it was only a principled, disciplinarian, inspirer and fair-minded person who could command the service, particularly at this time when morale was so low and the image of the service had sunk to such disturbing depth.
At his first interaction with officers and men of the Service, Mr Quaye did not mince words as to what his mission was and what he expected from the personnel. He threw his first bombshell with the re-posting of senior personnel to other areas stressing that whatever appointment or changes he made, was in the best interest of the Service and also with the belief that the affected personnel were needed in those areas to enable them bring their strengths to bear on the Service.
Many doubted the effects of the changes but as a very proficient systems analyst with more than 18 years experience in conducting studies and recommending the re-organisation of various units and departments within the service, Mr Quaye’s key objective, as the IGP, was to work and attain the highest levels of efficiency in the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Quaye, who believes in team work, also possesses rich skills in policy formulation and planning for change with in-depth knowledge in research work and identification of organisational weaknesses and defects.
He has the ability to focus on strategic direction of an organisation, with a view to effecting and implementing realistic change management mechanisms which are aimed at meeting self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology (SMART) objectives.
Despite having all these qualities, many doubted his ability to make any positive changes in the Service, believing that saboteurs within the system and the influence of politicians would not allow him to achieve anything.
But one year on, can one say that he had made any positive impact? Certainly yes. In fact, the IGP is said to be too ambitious and wanting to leave a very good legacy before leaving office. What else should one expect from him?
Indeed, the spate of armed robbery across the country at the time of his appointment was terrible with reported cases almost every day.
In fact, not only has his administration been able to stem the tide, but the way and manner suspects have been arrested even after the offence clearly indicate that he put the right people at the right places to deliver. Without any prejudice, apart from the reward system put in place, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno would, forever, be engraved in the hearts and minds of many people who have encountered him and the way he dealt with robberies and other crimes.
The ability of the police to establish a trend in robbery cases and the use of particular brand of vehicles being used in robberies alone has been heartwarming and that is worthy of commendation.
It is important to note that some planned armed robberies were also foiled even before the robberies were committed.
The time response of the police to distress calls, particularly violent crime, also reduced and that often resulted in exchange of fire between the police and the robbers.
Another area where the IGP showed great leadership was his decision to suspend the enlistment of personnel until the improvement of residential accommodation for personnel. Before the suspension, there were announcements for recruitment of new personnel but the IGP had to intervene.
Certainly, the Police Administration under the leadership of Mr Quaye has also shown that welfare for personnel was not just limited to accommodation. In fact, cases of interdiction which seemed to have been forgotten, have all been addressed with some of them re-instated, while others have been dismissed.
I believe the team at the Finance Department, headed by DCOP Dr George Dampare, appreciates the essence of motivation and the concern of the IGP to the welfare of personnel. That is why it worked hard to make sure that the Ghana Police Service was the first public institution to be enrolled on the new Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
To address the issue of patronage, the Police Administration has instituted an examination programme for all prospective candidates to the Police College to ensure that selection was based on merit. It is a good move and many Chief Inspectors, who had been ignored previously, are happy while those who expected to benefit through patronage are disappointed.
The launch of the five-year strategic plan and the establishment of marine police unit to address the challenges of the Service and the oil and gas sector, shows the visionary leadership of the IGP who does not want to be overtaken by events. His pledge of organising training/re-training programmes for personnel is being implemented to the letter. Kudos.
So far, so good for the IGP but there are still other areas which he needs to address.
First, he himself has had cause to complain about the arm-chair investigations at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which had made many operational personnel highly frustrated. The release of suspects on remand due to the inaction of both CID personnel and prosecutors due to the lackadaisical attitude to work, must be addressed.
This leads me to the issue of the need to strengthen the work force as the CID personnel often complain about overload of work.
The Police Administration must be reminded that the Service is losing some personnel to peacekeeping, retirement and death and, therefore, needs to be replaced.
Asks Albert K. Salia
IT IS a little over a year ago when Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye assumed the mantle of leadership of the Ghana Police Service.
At the time of his appointment, it was an incontrovertible fact as published in the May 19, 2009 issue of the Daily Graphic that patronage had become the gateway to progress in the Ghana Police Service. As a result, professional ethics, competence, efficiency and discipline seemed to have completely broken down. Morale was at its lowest ebb.
Besides those internal challenges, the Ghanaian society had to grapple with an increasing spate of armed robbery and other violent crimes which had created so much fear and panic in the system.
The challenges, which confronted Mr Quaye as the new IGP were, indeed, great and many feared that it was going to be business as usual for him. An article in the May 19, 2009 issue of the Daily Graphic had indicated that Mr Quaye could not afford to disappoint the President and the whole personnel of the service who saw him as someone to turn-around the fortunes of the service. Mr Quaye was also advised to guard against being pushed to the gutters by patronage.
The author argued that it was only a principled, disciplinarian, inspirer and fair-minded person who could command the service, particularly at this time when morale was so low and the image of the service had sunk to such disturbing depth.
At his first interaction with officers and men of the Service, Mr Quaye did not mince words as to what his mission was and what he expected from the personnel. He threw his first bombshell with the re-posting of senior personnel to other areas stressing that whatever appointment or changes he made, was in the best interest of the Service and also with the belief that the affected personnel were needed in those areas to enable them bring their strengths to bear on the Service.
Many doubted the effects of the changes but as a very proficient systems analyst with more than 18 years experience in conducting studies and recommending the re-organisation of various units and departments within the service, Mr Quaye’s key objective, as the IGP, was to work and attain the highest levels of efficiency in the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Quaye, who believes in team work, also possesses rich skills in policy formulation and planning for change with in-depth knowledge in research work and identification of organisational weaknesses and defects.
He has the ability to focus on strategic direction of an organisation, with a view to effecting and implementing realistic change management mechanisms which are aimed at meeting self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology (SMART) objectives.
Despite having all these qualities, many doubted his ability to make any positive changes in the Service, believing that saboteurs within the system and the influence of politicians would not allow him to achieve anything.
But one year on, can one say that he had made any positive impact? Certainly yes. In fact, the IGP is said to be too ambitious and wanting to leave a very good legacy before leaving office. What else should one expect from him?
Indeed, the spate of armed robbery across the country at the time of his appointment was terrible with reported cases almost every day.
In fact, not only has his administration been able to stem the tide, but the way and manner suspects have been arrested even after the offence clearly indicate that he put the right people at the right places to deliver. Without any prejudice, apart from the reward system put in place, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno would, forever, be engraved in the hearts and minds of many people who have encountered him and the way he dealt with robberies and other crimes.
The ability of the police to establish a trend in robbery cases and the use of particular brand of vehicles being used in robberies alone has been heartwarming and that is worthy of commendation.
It is important to note that some planned armed robberies were also foiled even before the robberies were committed.
The time response of the police to distress calls, particularly violent crime, also reduced and that often resulted in exchange of fire between the police and the robbers.
Another area where the IGP showed great leadership was his decision to suspend the enlistment of personnel until the improvement of residential accommodation for personnel. Before the suspension, there were announcements for recruitment of new personnel but the IGP had to intervene.
Certainly, the Police Administration under the leadership of Mr Quaye has also shown that welfare for personnel was not just limited to accommodation. In fact, cases of interdiction which seemed to have been forgotten, have all been addressed with some of them re-instated, while others have been dismissed.
I believe the team at the Finance Department, headed by DCOP Dr George Dampare, appreciates the essence of motivation and the concern of the IGP to the welfare of personnel. That is why it worked hard to make sure that the Ghana Police Service was the first public institution to be enrolled on the new Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
To address the issue of patronage, the Police Administration has instituted an examination programme for all prospective candidates to the Police College to ensure that selection was based on merit. It is a good move and many Chief Inspectors, who had been ignored previously, are happy while those who expected to benefit through patronage are disappointed.
The launch of the five-year strategic plan and the establishment of marine police unit to address the challenges of the Service and the oil and gas sector, shows the visionary leadership of the IGP who does not want to be overtaken by events. His pledge of organising training/re-training programmes for personnel is being implemented to the letter. Kudos.
So far, so good for the IGP but there are still other areas which he needs to address.
First, he himself has had cause to complain about the arm-chair investigations at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which had made many operational personnel highly frustrated. The release of suspects on remand due to the inaction of both CID personnel and prosecutors due to the lackadaisical attitude to work, must be addressed.
This leads me to the issue of the need to strengthen the work force as the CID personnel often complain about overload of work.
The Police Administration must be reminded that the Service is losing some personnel to peacekeeping, retirement and death and, therefore, needs to be replaced.
Education Service revises disciplinary regulations
Page 11: Daily Graphic, August 23, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Education Service (GES) is revising its disciplinary regulations to cover proprietors of private schools who misconduct themselves.
This is because the current regulations do not empower the GES to act against proprietors, heads, teaching and non-teaching staff of private schools.
The acting Deputy Director-General of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu who disclosed this said eventhough the Attorney-General’s Department for instance had asked the GES to sanction the proprietor of the Great Lamptey Mills Institute, Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, who is facing rape charges, the service was unable to do so.
Mr Adu explained that under the current regulations, the GES could only depend on court decisions to sanction proprietors of schools who misconducted themselves.
He emphasised that the Attorney-General had asked the GES to take the necessary administrative measures to punish Nii Lamptey-Mills.
Unfortunately, he said, “the regulations in place did not cover proprietors and, therefore, the GES could not take any action against Lamptey-Mills.”
Mr Adu said the best the GES could do was to close down the school but explained that the welfare of the children had to be taken into consideration.
He said if the continuous presence of the proprietor was going to be a threat, “we would advise the parents and students appropriately.”
According to him, officials of the GES had been visiting the institute to inspect facilities and deal with other issues at the school.
Mr Adu said the case of Nii Lamptey-Mills was not straight forward and therefore required that the GES pursued it in a more professional manner.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Education Service (GES) is revising its disciplinary regulations to cover proprietors of private schools who misconduct themselves.
This is because the current regulations do not empower the GES to act against proprietors, heads, teaching and non-teaching staff of private schools.
The acting Deputy Director-General of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu who disclosed this said eventhough the Attorney-General’s Department for instance had asked the GES to sanction the proprietor of the Great Lamptey Mills Institute, Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, who is facing rape charges, the service was unable to do so.
Mr Adu explained that under the current regulations, the GES could only depend on court decisions to sanction proprietors of schools who misconducted themselves.
He emphasised that the Attorney-General had asked the GES to take the necessary administrative measures to punish Nii Lamptey-Mills.
Unfortunately, he said, “the regulations in place did not cover proprietors and, therefore, the GES could not take any action against Lamptey-Mills.”
Mr Adu said the best the GES could do was to close down the school but explained that the welfare of the children had to be taken into consideration.
He said if the continuous presence of the proprietor was going to be a threat, “we would advise the parents and students appropriately.”
According to him, officials of the GES had been visiting the institute to inspect facilities and deal with other issues at the school.
Mr Adu said the case of Nii Lamptey-Mills was not straight forward and therefore required that the GES pursued it in a more professional manner.
Lamptey-Mills charged for rape
Front Page: Daily Graphic, August 21, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Proprietor of the Great Lamptey-Mills Institute, Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, has been rearrested on the orders of the Attorney-General’s Department and charged with rape.
Lamptey-Mills was arrested last Wednesday, August 18, 20100 and placed in police custody, pending the commencement of his trial after his release from the charge of impregnating and forcing a 16-year-old former student of his school to marry him.
A Circuit Court in Accra on October 22, last year, discharged Lamptey-Mills, who had been charged with compulsory marriage.
The Presiding judge, Mrs Georgina Mensah-Datsa, had ruled that the charge levelled against Lamptey-Mills was a misdemeanor, for which the law allowed an out-of-court settlement.
However, the Attorney-General last week said from the caution statement of Lamptey-Mills, the consent given by the girl was under duress and ordered his rearrest.
According to the Attorney-General, Lamptey-Mills stated that he found the girl in a sorry state with no one caring for her and, therefore, offered to assist her.
The Deputy Commander of the Accra Regional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Eunice Odonkor, said the AG explained that the girl was influenced by the material support offered her by Lamptey-Mills to consent to have sex with him, resulting in the pregnancy.
She said the police, therefore, rearrested Lamptey-Mills last Wednesday and cautioned him, while awaiting the trial date.
She explained that the Attorney-General’s Department would be prosecuting when the trial start.
In September last year, Lamptey Mills was arrested by the police for impregnating and forcing to marry a 16-year-old former student of his and performed the marriage rites, making the victim his wife.
He was held on charges of compulsion marriage of a teenager.
Police sources said one year after the girl gave birth, Mills had failed to keep to his promise of building a house for her, provide for the upkeep of the mother and child, as well as restore the girl, who is now 17, to school.
The Great Lamptey-Mills Institute, formerly Lamptey-Mills Institute, was established on February 4, 1963 by the Late Rev. Abraham Samuel Lamptey-Mills after whom the school was named.
The Junior High School department was later established on September 31, 1994 by the current Director of the school, Enoch Lamptey-Mills.
The Senior High department was also founded in 2005 by the same director.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Proprietor of the Great Lamptey-Mills Institute, Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, has been rearrested on the orders of the Attorney-General’s Department and charged with rape.
Lamptey-Mills was arrested last Wednesday, August 18, 20100 and placed in police custody, pending the commencement of his trial after his release from the charge of impregnating and forcing a 16-year-old former student of his school to marry him.
A Circuit Court in Accra on October 22, last year, discharged Lamptey-Mills, who had been charged with compulsory marriage.
The Presiding judge, Mrs Georgina Mensah-Datsa, had ruled that the charge levelled against Lamptey-Mills was a misdemeanor, for which the law allowed an out-of-court settlement.
However, the Attorney-General last week said from the caution statement of Lamptey-Mills, the consent given by the girl was under duress and ordered his rearrest.
According to the Attorney-General, Lamptey-Mills stated that he found the girl in a sorry state with no one caring for her and, therefore, offered to assist her.
The Deputy Commander of the Accra Regional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Eunice Odonkor, said the AG explained that the girl was influenced by the material support offered her by Lamptey-Mills to consent to have sex with him, resulting in the pregnancy.
She said the police, therefore, rearrested Lamptey-Mills last Wednesday and cautioned him, while awaiting the trial date.
She explained that the Attorney-General’s Department would be prosecuting when the trial start.
In September last year, Lamptey Mills was arrested by the police for impregnating and forcing to marry a 16-year-old former student of his and performed the marriage rites, making the victim his wife.
He was held on charges of compulsion marriage of a teenager.
Police sources said one year after the girl gave birth, Mills had failed to keep to his promise of building a house for her, provide for the upkeep of the mother and child, as well as restore the girl, who is now 17, to school.
The Great Lamptey-Mills Institute, formerly Lamptey-Mills Institute, was established on February 4, 1963 by the Late Rev. Abraham Samuel Lamptey-Mills after whom the school was named.
The Junior High School department was later established on September 31, 1994 by the current Director of the school, Enoch Lamptey-Mills.
The Senior High department was also founded in 2005 by the same director.
Shaka Zulu held over robbery
Page 49: Daily Graphic, August 19, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 31-YEAR-OLD man, Richard Cobbina, alias Shaka Zulu, has been arrested by the police for alleged robbery.
The suspect, also known as Custodia, was arrested at a popular drinking spot at Adabraka last Monday night after he had been identified by another robbery suspect.
Shaka Zulu allegedly confessed to taking part in robbing some Nigerians on the Spintex Road.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said Shaka Zulu and his accomplices allegedly raided the residence of the Nigerians and robbed them of their laptops and personal effects after a friend of the suspect had complained that the Nigerians had defrauded him.
He said Shaka Zulu and his two friends recruited another person, identified as Wise Grey, alias Biggy, to take part in the robbery.
He said Biggy allegedly provided the weapons for the operation during which they took away five laptops and other personal effects of their victims.
ACP Yohuno said the victims of the robbery mustered courage to pursue the suspected robbers in a car while the robbers were walking.
According to him, the Nigerians tried to hit the suspects with their car but only one of them, identified only as Old School, who was carrying two of the laptops, was hit.
He said Shaka Zulu and the others escaped upon realising that it was the Nigerians pursuing them with the car.
ACP Yohuno said the Nigerian victims then handed over Old School to the Sakumono Police to investigate the matter.
He said Old School was currently on remand at the Nsawam Prisons while the police are searching for the two other suspects, identified as Abass and Stone.
He said intelligence led to the arrest Shaka Zulu last Monday, and he allegedly admitted to taking part in the robbery with the explanation that he took part because he needed money to take care of a lady he had impregnated.
ACP Yohuno said the arrest of Shaka Zulu should motivate Ghanaians to trust the police to deal with perpetrators of crime no matter how long it would take.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 31-YEAR-OLD man, Richard Cobbina, alias Shaka Zulu, has been arrested by the police for alleged robbery.
The suspect, also known as Custodia, was arrested at a popular drinking spot at Adabraka last Monday night after he had been identified by another robbery suspect.
Shaka Zulu allegedly confessed to taking part in robbing some Nigerians on the Spintex Road.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said Shaka Zulu and his accomplices allegedly raided the residence of the Nigerians and robbed them of their laptops and personal effects after a friend of the suspect had complained that the Nigerians had defrauded him.
He said Shaka Zulu and his two friends recruited another person, identified as Wise Grey, alias Biggy, to take part in the robbery.
He said Biggy allegedly provided the weapons for the operation during which they took away five laptops and other personal effects of their victims.
ACP Yohuno said the victims of the robbery mustered courage to pursue the suspected robbers in a car while the robbers were walking.
According to him, the Nigerians tried to hit the suspects with their car but only one of them, identified only as Old School, who was carrying two of the laptops, was hit.
He said Shaka Zulu and the others escaped upon realising that it was the Nigerians pursuing them with the car.
ACP Yohuno said the Nigerian victims then handed over Old School to the Sakumono Police to investigate the matter.
He said Old School was currently on remand at the Nsawam Prisons while the police are searching for the two other suspects, identified as Abass and Stone.
He said intelligence led to the arrest Shaka Zulu last Monday, and he allegedly admitted to taking part in the robbery with the explanation that he took part because he needed money to take care of a lady he had impregnated.
ACP Yohuno said the arrest of Shaka Zulu should motivate Ghanaians to trust the police to deal with perpetrators of crime no matter how long it would take.
Ensure sustainability of investments - Bagbin
Page 64: Daily Graphic, August 19, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, has called on district assemblies and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to put in place measures to ensure the sustainability of investments made in the water and sanitation sectors in rural communities.
He stressed the need for the efficient and effective use of the facilities, since those investments in the water systems, among other things, would have significant impact on the economy, health and well-being of Ghanaians.
Speaking yesterday to the Daily Graphic on the government’s pledge to provide potable water for Ghanaians, Mr Bagbin said the recent inauguration of water and sanitation projects to serve the needs of 39 communities in the Central and Western regions was a clear testimony of the government’s commitment to complete all on-going projects started by the previous government.
“To safeguard the long term sustainability of all these investments in the water and sanitation sub-sector, there is the need for proper co-ordination and regulation of these projects,” he said.
He reminded district assemblies that the CWSA was expected to provide technical assistance to the Local Government Service and, therefore, urged the assemblies to take advantage of the technical expertise to develop water resources in their districts.
He said it was important that the district assemblies saw the CWSA as partners and build the necessary linkages with it to help provide safe and reliable water, as well as improved sanitation services for Ghanaians. He stressed that “your are not competitors and you don’t need to work at cross purposes”.
Mr Bagbin charged the CWSA to play a leading role towards the sustainability of water and sanitation facilities that had been delivered through various interventions.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to taking all measures to provide water and sanitation systems in all communities in the country.
He said the provision of potable water for Ghanaians constituted one of the growth poles being pursued by the government in collaboration with stakeholders and development partners such as the European Union to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Bagbin expressed concern about the situation where many communities did not have access to potable water and described the trend as unacceptable.
He, therefore, urged the CWSA and the district assemblies to see it as a challenge to collaborate in a holistic manner to address the problems, especially in the rural areas.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, has called on district assemblies and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to put in place measures to ensure the sustainability of investments made in the water and sanitation sectors in rural communities.
He stressed the need for the efficient and effective use of the facilities, since those investments in the water systems, among other things, would have significant impact on the economy, health and well-being of Ghanaians.
Speaking yesterday to the Daily Graphic on the government’s pledge to provide potable water for Ghanaians, Mr Bagbin said the recent inauguration of water and sanitation projects to serve the needs of 39 communities in the Central and Western regions was a clear testimony of the government’s commitment to complete all on-going projects started by the previous government.
“To safeguard the long term sustainability of all these investments in the water and sanitation sub-sector, there is the need for proper co-ordination and regulation of these projects,” he said.
He reminded district assemblies that the CWSA was expected to provide technical assistance to the Local Government Service and, therefore, urged the assemblies to take advantage of the technical expertise to develop water resources in their districts.
He said it was important that the district assemblies saw the CWSA as partners and build the necessary linkages with it to help provide safe and reliable water, as well as improved sanitation services for Ghanaians. He stressed that “your are not competitors and you don’t need to work at cross purposes”.
Mr Bagbin charged the CWSA to play a leading role towards the sustainability of water and sanitation facilities that had been delivered through various interventions.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to taking all measures to provide water and sanitation systems in all communities in the country.
He said the provision of potable water for Ghanaians constituted one of the growth poles being pursued by the government in collaboration with stakeholders and development partners such as the European Union to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Bagbin expressed concern about the situation where many communities did not have access to potable water and described the trend as unacceptable.
He, therefore, urged the CWSA and the district assemblies to see it as a challenge to collaborate in a holistic manner to address the problems, especially in the rural areas.
Man arrested for stabbing step-daughter
Page 64: Daily Graphic, August 18, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 46-YEAR-OLD man, Kwabena Twum, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing the left eye of his step-daughter after the girl resisted attempts to have sex with her.
The suspect allegedly used a broken bottle to perforate the left eye of Mary Osei-Wusu, 22, the step-daughter, on July 15, 2010 and absconded.
Twum was, however, arrested on Monday, August 16, 2010 at the Ashaiman lorry park upon a tip-off.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra today, the Ashaiman Divisional Commander of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Christine Yevunoo, said the suspect went into hiding after perpetrating the act when his wife had gone out.
She said the victim, who is currently blind in the left eye as a result, had already undergone the first surgery with the second one expected next month.
“As I speak to you, the victim cannot see with the left eye and the medical report says she is blind in the left eye. It is only after the second surgery that we will know whether she has gone permanently blind in the left eye,” she said.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 46-YEAR-OLD man, Kwabena Twum, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing the left eye of his step-daughter after the girl resisted attempts to have sex with her.
The suspect allegedly used a broken bottle to perforate the left eye of Mary Osei-Wusu, 22, the step-daughter, on July 15, 2010 and absconded.
Twum was, however, arrested on Monday, August 16, 2010 at the Ashaiman lorry park upon a tip-off.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra today, the Ashaiman Divisional Commander of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Christine Yevunoo, said the suspect went into hiding after perpetrating the act when his wife had gone out.
She said the victim, who is currently blind in the left eye as a result, had already undergone the first surgery with the second one expected next month.
“As I speak to you, the victim cannot see with the left eye and the medical report says she is blind in the left eye. It is only after the second surgery that we will know whether she has gone permanently blind in the left eye,” she said.
Police briefed on STX deal
Page 64: Daily Graphic, 18, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, today began an outreach programme to interact with the top brass of the Ghana Police Service to brief them on the implementation of the STX Housing Project for the security agencies.
Under the project, 30,000 housing units are expected to be constructed for the Police, Military, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service and other agencies with the Ghana Police Service expecting to benefit from 20,000 housing units.
Mr Bagbin is expected to the visit Burma Camp tomorrow.
Currently, 13,854 of the 23,840 police personnel are not accommodated with others being housed in workshops, canteens and other structures.
The Police Administration last year suspended the recruitment of personnel into the service due to the accommodation crisis facing the service.
Speaking at the forum with the leadership of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Bagbin said the essence of the interactions was to open up to all those who were going to benefit from the project to enable them to appreciate what was to come their way.
He, therefore, called for the co-operation and support of all stakeholders including chiefs and district assemblies to ensure the smooth take-off of the project next month when the sod was expected to be cut for construction work to begin.
He said the vision of the government was to ensure that no individual spent more than 30 per cent of his or her income on accommodation whether rental or owner-occupier system.
Mr Bagbin, whose presentation was met with applause from the personnel present, said Ghana’s housing deficit currently stood at more than one million with an annual delivery of only 40,000 of the 140,000 being provided.
He described the STX Housing Project as the largest and single most ambitious project and said it was an all-inclusive project with members of the minority in parliament forming part of delegations to discuss and review the deal with STX Korea.
He said the project would also lead to the establishment of major cement, steel and power plants in Ghana, which would create more than 40,000 jobs.
Mr Bagbin said the project, which would also bring about technology transfer, would be a launch pad for an integrated building and construction industry in Ghana.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, said the interest of the police in the project was evidenced by the presence of police personnel during the debate on the approval of the deal in Parliament.
He said the ambition of the Police Administration was to increase the strength of the personnel to 40,000 by 2014 and bring the police-civilian ratio closer to the United Nations approved ratio of 1:500.
He stressed that “with this project, there is the need for a corresponding increase in accommodation facilities to house the additional personnel”.
Mr Quaye enumerated some of the challenges to be encountered during the project as land acquisition, resettlement of displaced personnel and the ejection of squatters on police lands but pledged the support and commitment of the Police Administration to the successful completion of the project.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi, said the problem of accommodation for all the security services required a holistic approach to resolve the crisis.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, today began an outreach programme to interact with the top brass of the Ghana Police Service to brief them on the implementation of the STX Housing Project for the security agencies.
Under the project, 30,000 housing units are expected to be constructed for the Police, Military, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service and other agencies with the Ghana Police Service expecting to benefit from 20,000 housing units.
Mr Bagbin is expected to the visit Burma Camp tomorrow.
Currently, 13,854 of the 23,840 police personnel are not accommodated with others being housed in workshops, canteens and other structures.
The Police Administration last year suspended the recruitment of personnel into the service due to the accommodation crisis facing the service.
Speaking at the forum with the leadership of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Bagbin said the essence of the interactions was to open up to all those who were going to benefit from the project to enable them to appreciate what was to come their way.
He, therefore, called for the co-operation and support of all stakeholders including chiefs and district assemblies to ensure the smooth take-off of the project next month when the sod was expected to be cut for construction work to begin.
He said the vision of the government was to ensure that no individual spent more than 30 per cent of his or her income on accommodation whether rental or owner-occupier system.
Mr Bagbin, whose presentation was met with applause from the personnel present, said Ghana’s housing deficit currently stood at more than one million with an annual delivery of only 40,000 of the 140,000 being provided.
He described the STX Housing Project as the largest and single most ambitious project and said it was an all-inclusive project with members of the minority in parliament forming part of delegations to discuss and review the deal with STX Korea.
He said the project would also lead to the establishment of major cement, steel and power plants in Ghana, which would create more than 40,000 jobs.
Mr Bagbin said the project, which would also bring about technology transfer, would be a launch pad for an integrated building and construction industry in Ghana.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, said the interest of the police in the project was evidenced by the presence of police personnel during the debate on the approval of the deal in Parliament.
He said the ambition of the Police Administration was to increase the strength of the personnel to 40,000 by 2014 and bring the police-civilian ratio closer to the United Nations approved ratio of 1:500.
He stressed that “with this project, there is the need for a corresponding increase in accommodation facilities to house the additional personnel”.
Mr Quaye enumerated some of the challenges to be encountered during the project as land acquisition, resettlement of displaced personnel and the ejection of squatters on police lands but pledged the support and commitment of the Police Administration to the successful completion of the project.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi, said the problem of accommodation for all the security services required a holistic approach to resolve the crisis.
Liaise with police to set up more tent cities
Page 67: Daily Graphic, August 16, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Police Service has appealed to residents of sprawling communities without police stations to co-operate with the police for the establishment of tent cities in their localities to fight armed robbery and residential crimes in those areas.
An initiative of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, the tent cities are to serve as a first point of call by residents to relay information on suspected criminal activities or suspicious characters in those areas.
Each of the tent cities will be provided with a telephone number to serve the communities and reduce time of response to distress calls.
Since its establishment last year, the number of tent cities has increased from the initial four to nine in the Accra-Tema police regions.
The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the IGP had revised the operations of the tent cities project, with each tent city placed under an operational force of the police.
Hitherto, he said, personnel were randomly selected and posted to the tent cities, but it was detected that it was creating problems, especially with the change over of personnel and logistics.
Supt Ofori said the IGP had placed 10 vehicles at the disposal of the existing tent cities to enhance their operations,
while the personnel were now receiving ration while on duty, which was not the case when the project started last year.
He, however, said a major challenge facing the establishment of the tent cities was the non-co-operation of some residents.
He said conditions in the tent cities were not the best, as personnel had to struggle to answer the call of nature and encountered problems in trying to seek information on security problems in those communities from residents.
He said there were some communities, particularly the EMEFS and Regimannuel estates, who had co-operated so well with the police that the tent city project was working effectively in those areas.
Supt Ofori said since the establishment of the tent city at Emefs Estate, for instance, robberies and thefts in the area had stopped.
He said besides the estate developer moving the tent city team into a building, the residents had also appointed co-ordinators for various zones to co-ordinate reports with the police team.
He said other areas where the tent cities were currently located were REDCO Flats, Dome, Taifa-Burkina, Roman Ridge, Achimota Golf Park, West and East Legon, Manet Court and Dzorwulu.
The Director of Public Affairs said supervisors had also been appointed to monitor the activities of personnel on duty to ensure that they performed the duties assigned them.
He said the IGP was determined to bring policing to the doorstep of Ghanaians and, therefore, appealed for public support to ensure that the project succeeded.
Supt. Ofori urged the communities in which the tent cities would be sited to co-operate with the personnel and not see their presence as intimidatory, adding, “We are targeting criminals and not innocent people.”
He said as part of their duties, the personnel would be available to provide security talks for churches and schools in the vicinities in which they were located.
He said those on the specialised day patrols would be visiting homes and workplaces to interact with those they met to discuss their security concerns.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Police Service has appealed to residents of sprawling communities without police stations to co-operate with the police for the establishment of tent cities in their localities to fight armed robbery and residential crimes in those areas.
An initiative of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, the tent cities are to serve as a first point of call by residents to relay information on suspected criminal activities or suspicious characters in those areas.
Each of the tent cities will be provided with a telephone number to serve the communities and reduce time of response to distress calls.
Since its establishment last year, the number of tent cities has increased from the initial four to nine in the Accra-Tema police regions.
The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the IGP had revised the operations of the tent cities project, with each tent city placed under an operational force of the police.
Hitherto, he said, personnel were randomly selected and posted to the tent cities, but it was detected that it was creating problems, especially with the change over of personnel and logistics.
Supt Ofori said the IGP had placed 10 vehicles at the disposal of the existing tent cities to enhance their operations,
while the personnel were now receiving ration while on duty, which was not the case when the project started last year.
He, however, said a major challenge facing the establishment of the tent cities was the non-co-operation of some residents.
He said conditions in the tent cities were not the best, as personnel had to struggle to answer the call of nature and encountered problems in trying to seek information on security problems in those communities from residents.
He said there were some communities, particularly the EMEFS and Regimannuel estates, who had co-operated so well with the police that the tent city project was working effectively in those areas.
Supt Ofori said since the establishment of the tent city at Emefs Estate, for instance, robberies and thefts in the area had stopped.
He said besides the estate developer moving the tent city team into a building, the residents had also appointed co-ordinators for various zones to co-ordinate reports with the police team.
He said other areas where the tent cities were currently located were REDCO Flats, Dome, Taifa-Burkina, Roman Ridge, Achimota Golf Park, West and East Legon, Manet Court and Dzorwulu.
The Director of Public Affairs said supervisors had also been appointed to monitor the activities of personnel on duty to ensure that they performed the duties assigned them.
He said the IGP was determined to bring policing to the doorstep of Ghanaians and, therefore, appealed for public support to ensure that the project succeeded.
Supt. Ofori urged the communities in which the tent cities would be sited to co-operate with the personnel and not see their presence as intimidatory, adding, “We are targeting criminals and not innocent people.”
He said as part of their duties, the personnel would be available to provide security talks for churches and schools in the vicinities in which they were located.
He said those on the specialised day patrols would be visiting homes and workplaces to interact with those they met to discuss their security concerns.
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