GIS to mount patrols along country’s coastline
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) is to deploy personnel for stationary and mobile patrols along the country’s coastline from Axim to Aflao as a way of ensuring security.
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The Central Regional Commander of the GIS, C/Supt Francis Palmdeti, who made this known at a media briefing in Cape Coast yesterday, said starting from next week, stationary patrol duty would begin at the Cape Coast and the Elmina castles.
The country’s coastline stretches from Axim in the Western Region to Aflao in the Volta Region, but only the Takoradi Harbour and the Newtown areas are patrolled by GIS officers, a situation which is at variance with the GIS’s mandate of securing the coastline.
Central Region
Mr Palmdeti said the Central Region was strategic, considering the numerous potential tourist sites and many installations, and should have adequate security, particularly when the regional capital was very close to the shore line.
“When talking about tourism, the Central Region is the destination, with eight forts out of 18 across the country. It is very important that we guard the coastline,” he stressed.
He said the command would soon begin an engagement with communities along the coast, through the assemblies and other stakeholders, concerning the presence of the GIS to enable them to support the exercise.
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Collaboration
He said the GIS would collaborate with the Central Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).
“We believe this will be effective if we have a central communication control centre manned by representatives of the security agencies to attend to emergency calls from informants,” the commander said.
In addition, he said, some personnel would be deployed to some tourist sites, such as hotels and other places of interest, adding: “We must protect the frontiers.”
Prosecution
On the application and enforcement of immigration laws, Mr Palmdeti said the regional command was in a discussion with the regional office of the Attorney-General’s Department on possible collaboration in the area of prosecuting immigration offences within the region.
“As soon as we arrive at some conclusions regarding the collaboration, the grace period for offenders would be over,” he said.
Mr Palmdeti asked landlords and owners of dwelling places to ensure that their prospective foreign tenants had valid travel documents and immigration permits before renting their facilities to them, cautioning that “foreigners who overstay and those who enter and stay in the country illegally pose security problems to your family, neighbourhood or country”.