The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi, has called on retired and serving officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to be circumspect when relaying information about the service and rather be supportive of good initiatives geared towards the benefit of all.

He said given the sensitive role the GIS played as a security agency, it was important for all its stakeholders to be diligent and circumspect so as to sustain the public trust in its operations.

The Comptroller-General made the call during a meeting with members of the Association of Retired Immigration Officers (ARIO) in Accra.

The meeting was the first of its kind in the service, offering former officers a personal encounter with the leadership of the GIS and to also share ideas on how to improve the work of the service.

The members of the ARIO included a former Deputy Director responsible for Operations, Mr. Hodari Okae; a former Deputy Director responsible for Finance and Administration, Madam Veronica Addy; and another former Deputy Director in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr. Robert Quartey.

Transformational agenda

Mr. Asuah Takyi said the increase in recruitment had more than doubled the current staff strength of the service, acquisition of residential accommodation, renovation of both office and residential facilities as part of the improvement in the work and welfare of the service.

He said the service had also embarked on other projects, including expansion works at the Immigration Service Academy and Training School, increase in the fleet of transport, establishment of a clinic, clearing of a backlog of promotions and formulation of various policies to guide the service to deliver on its core mandate, among others.

The Deputy Comptroller-General responsible for Command Post and Operations, Mr. Laud Afrifah, said the service had beefed up the number of border patrol officers and created more sector commands with inland check points along strategic routes.

Improved image

The President of the Association of Retired Immigration Officers (ARIO), Deputy Director in charge of Operations (retd), Mr. Moses Gyamfi, congratulated the Comptroller-General of Immigration and his management for sustaining and growing the image of the service.

Mr. Gyamfi said the GIS had become a household name and more recognised within the security apparatus of the country than before.

He expressed optimism that the trend would continue for better progress and more projects to be accomplished to better the living standards of both serving and retired officers.