DCI Dr. Prosper Asima (left) with some officers inspecting a guard of honour when he visited
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has put necessary security measures in place to arrest all recalcitrant travellers using unapproved routes at the Elubo border in the Western Region.
This is being done in collaboration with the Elubo Border Security (BODSEC).
Elubo Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, Chief Superintendent Joshua Krakue, said yesterday that the officers have since the closure of the borders intensified 24-hour patrols and surveillance at both the main Elubo border and all the identified unapproved routes within the jurisdiction.
He made this known when the Western Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, DCI Dr. Prosper Asima, paid an unannounced working visit to the Elubo Sector.
He said there had been an increase in the number of officers on daily patrols.
According to Chief Superintendent Krakue, they have been engaging the membership of BODSEC to evaluate their border security operational strategies.
He said the GIS had been courting the support of the chiefs and people of surrounding communities and transport operators to get useful information on offenders for prompt action.
The officer said that intelligence has pointed to a cabal of some canoe operators and commercial drivers, who have been working to outwit the security agencies, saying “they do this by taking money from some recalcitrant travellers to ferry them across the River Tano.”
He affirmed the officers’ fullest commitment to the President’s decision to extend the closure of the land borders, as a measure towards preventing further importation of the COVID-19 pandemic cases, particularly through the Western borders.
The Regional Commander of the GIS commended the officers at the Elubo border for their dedication and commitment to the cause of the country.
At a durbar, the Commander said he was impressed with the community engagement strategies and urged the officers to deepen such collaborations, saying “security is a shared responsibility and must be embraced by all.”
“A closure means a closure, and so you should continue to enforce the directives to the letter,” he told the officers.
He, however, bemoaned the recent media reports on some alleged misconduct by a few selfish officers and warned them to refrain from such unacceptable behaviours.
He said such allegations demoralise their hardworking colleagues, embarrass the service and also derail the gains made so far by reducing public interest in the good work the service had been doing.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi