OPERATE WITHIN THE LAW (SPREAD, MAY 10, 2010)

PRESIDENT John Evans Atta Mills has directed regional, metropolitan, municipal and district security councils to ensure that whatever they do to maintain law and order conforms to the 1992 Constitution that guarantees the fundamental human rights of the people.
He also asked the security councils not to deal with only chieftaincy disputes, tribal conflicts or armed robberies but also focus on human security by widening the horizon for social justice, the provision of social amenities and economic opportunities and re-awaken communal togetherness.
That, according to him, would make it possible for a peaceful atmosphere for the orderly development of the country to fulfil the ‘better Ghana’ agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
The President gave the directive in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Defence, Lt General J.H. Smith, at a seminar organised for members of the regional, metropolitan, municipal and district security committees drawn from the Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra regions at the Mac-Dic Royal Plaza in Koforidua on Saturday.
The seminar gave the participants the opportunity to highlight security concerns in their areas to be addressed.
According to President Mills, the 1992 Constitution recognised the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual, noting that one key instrument that the Constitution provided Ghanaians was decentralisation and local government.
He said without opportunities for economic development and social advancement, particularly in the rural areas, the country’s security would continue to be under siege.
President Mills, who asked the security councils to play a leading role in the ‘better Ghana’ agenda by assisting the assemblies to come up with bye-laws in that respect, also tasked them to mobilise the youth for agricultural production.
“The assemblies should not only be limited to the building of markets and toilets but should also be involved in the production of goods and services, own enterprises, provide social amenities and revive the communal spirit which had, in the past, and by Ghanaian tradition, been responsible for development in the rural areas,” he stated.
The President, who explained vividly the concept of national security to enable the participants to have a full understanding of the issue, expressed the hope that the seminar would better equip them with how best to address security concerns in their respective areas.
Welcoming the participants, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said although it was generally peaceful in the area, chieftaincy disputes, illegal chainsaw activities and “galamsey” operations, as well as the activities of Fulani herdsmen, some of whom raped women after their animals had destroyed crops, continued to disturb the peace in the region.
He also dwelt on fire outbreaks in offices, at homes, at markets, as well as the recent jailbreak at the Sekondi Prison and the re-arrest of some of the criminals, and commended the policemen responsible for their re-capture and all other security personnel who had helped maintain law and order in the communities.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo indicated that the country had witnessed a significant reduction in criminal acts such as drug trafficking and armed robbery since the NDC came to power in January 2009 and gave the assurance that the necessary steps were being taken to make Ghana a safe place for all.