CEPS ESTABLISHES NEW UNIT

27/03/2008

Story: Mary Mensah
The Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) has established an Internal Affairs Unit to help fight corruption and promote integrity within the service.
The new unit will receive complaints from the public and institutions on the conduct of customs officials which will be fully investigated and the appropriate punishment meted out to offenders.
The Commissioner of CEPS, Mr Emmanuel Doku, made this known in Accra when he received four specialised computers valued at $50,000 from the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency at the end of a capacity-building training programme. The computers are for the unit.
Mr Doku said apart from safeguarding the service against possible revenue leakage, CEPS also had the responsibility of ensuring the security of cargo to prevent the entry of harmful substances into the country.
He said while the role of customs in the past had been more of revenue collection, the threats to national security in the 21st century required customs to take a greater role in enforcement.
Mr Doku said since customs officers were at the entry and exit points of the nation, they needed to be appropriately equipped to enable them to tackle the proliferation of illegal arms and dangerous goods in the country.
The commissioner said the effort displayed by the US customs in extending their capacity-building initiatives to other customs administration was, therefore, commendable. “CEPS is indeed glad to be one of the beneficiaries.”
Presenting the computers the Head of the Consular Section, Mr Michael Evans, who represented the US Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Pamela Bridgwater, said the role of CEPS in protecting Ghana’s security and economic prosperity was crucial.
Mr Evans urged CEPS to remain vigilant against the violation of Ghana’s borders by traffickers and smugglers who traded in drugs and people.
A director of US Customs and Border Protection, Mr Charles Stallwart, said the US targeted 10 countries and provided assistance to them in areas of capacity building to enable them to do their work effectively and efficiently.
He said out of the 10 Ghana was the first to have established an internal affairs unit and this showed the commitment of the government of Ghana to fight corruption and other malpractices within the service.