The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority is preparing the grounds for the establishment of canine unit in order to beef up its operations especially at the borders and points of entry where staffing is inadequate.
Acting Commissioner of the Division, Wallace Akodor in an interview noted that the move is geared towards beefing up operations of the division whiles options such as recruitment of young and fresh blood into the division are being explored.
According to him, the need for a youthful class in the division cannot be underestimated given the magnitude of the job that the division has been entrusted to do, emphasizing that most officers of the division currently are old and do not exert the desired energy that will yield the desired results especially when it comes to the issue of manning the nation?s borders which he agrees are porous.
??Our borders are porous and they are very lengthy, it is in the south that we have the sea and even the sea we are still having threats in terms of porosity, we are doing the best we can, we have been engaging government so that we can recruit a lot more young people. Patrolling borders requires a lot of physical activity and you need strong and energetic young men to do it, so we need to recruit more fresh blood into the service?? he stressed.
According to Mr. Akondor, the canine unit which is in the offing will help the division in terms of patrolling the borders, stressing that the dogs helps when there is human default and that in between the borders, one dog could do the job of as many as ten officers.
He explained that the division is enjoying tremendous support from the United States Customs and Border Patrol Unit and that officers have already been dispatched to that country to study the use of the dogs in border patrols and other operations for replication in Ghana.
Mr. Akondor said the establishment of the unit which is still at the conception stages has seen collaborations between the United States Customs Department and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and that a team from the United States has already visited the country to assess the situation and have submitted an inconclusive report.
Other issues being considered according to Mr. Akondor has to do with the issues of cost outlays and sustainability, adding that when the full report comes, it will be presented to government to enable the division justify why the unit must be established.
Mr. Akondor also appealed to the generality of Ghanaians to wear the cap of patriotism by volunteering information on intransigent persons who would want to beat the system by smuggling goods through the borders so such people can be dealt with in accordance with the law.
??I want to appeal to our country men and women to be patriotic by eschewing such illegal acts as smuggling. We need to build this beautiful country of ours together and there is no one that will come and do it for us. We don?t have to run it down, it is our responsibility to ensure that we watch the things we do, if it facilitates nation-building, fair enough, if not then you are bound to face the law and we will come hard at you which is not fine, so let everyone join the crusade and lets avoid these things?? he concluded
