Security agencies must collaborate to curb proliferation of small arms
Discussants on the proliferation of small arms have underscored the need to strengthen collaboration among security agencies to deal with the continuous proliferation of small arms in the country.
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Even though they admitted that there was a bit of collaboration among the Ghana Police Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and other security agencies, they indicated that it was inadequate to help address the issue of small arms trade.
According to them, in spite of the various measures put in place to check illicit small arms trade along the borders of Ghana, there was the need to strengthen the level of collaboration and cooperation to help tackle the menace.
The panellists were speaking on a weekly programme aired on Ghana Television (GTV) on the topic: “Controlling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons,” last Friday.
The one-hour programme, hosted by a security expert, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, touched on varied issues such as the possession of small arms and their registration, reasons for possession to the legal regime.
Sharing intelligence
The government on August 16, 2016, gave a 32-day amnesty to all persons in possession of illegal and unlicensed weapons to register, renew or surrender them to the state.
After the amnesty period has expired, the Ghana Police Service, in partnership with other security agencies and the Ghana National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, would resort to aggressive measures to deal with all those who would still be in possession of unregistered weapons.
But contributing to the discussion, the Head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Chief Superintendent Francis Palmdeti, said the issue had to be dealt with in a multifaceted manner.
He said there was the need for the continuous sharing of intelligence among the various agencies.
“We can only succeed if we increase collaboration and cooperation and the continuous sharing of intelligence,” he said.
In the view of Dr Antwi-Danso, the lack of sharing intelligence among the various security agencies largely contributed to the September 11 attack in the United States of America (USA).
He stressed the need to review the recruitment of security officials, as a way to do away with officials who connived with civilians to trade in small arms.
Arresting miscreants
For his part, the Commanding Officer of the Formed Police Unit, Chief Superintendent Naa Hamza A. Yakubu, said culprits were being arrested continuously, but the incident persisted.
That, he said, meant that arresting those who dealt in the small arms trade was not enough to address the issue.