Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr. Peter Wiredu, Director of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), on Thursday said the Service, had a strong role to play towards ensuring peaceful elections in the country.
"We have the responsibility of ensuring that bad elements do not enter through our territorial boundaries to cause havoc," Dr. Wiredu said at the opening of a two-day Regional Commander's Conference of the GIS in Accra.
The conference on the theme: "The Role of the GIS in Election 2012," aims at taking stock of events during the year and also, to strategize for the coming year, as well as the forth coming elections.
"The hyped nature of the on-going electioneering campaigns have raised alarming concerns on whether the political stability in the country is not threatened by intense partisan bickering," he said.
The GIS Director said: “thankfully, Ghana had witnessed five successful elections, since the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution.
"The international community is watching Ghana with keen eyes. We cannot afford to fail Ghana and the international community, which is watching to see what, would happen at the end of the day."
He urged Immigration officers to approach their electioneering duties with a high sense of professionalism and dedication…."Officers should be non-partisan and desist from making partisan statements or gestures.
"This is how they would win the trust and respect of the electorate, and earn them the credibility they would need to work effectively."
Focusing on challenges the Service faces, Dr. Wiredu identified the need for policy transformation in the area of personnel management and welfare, logistical and infrastructural deficits as well as budgetary constraints.
It is comforting and reassuring that management with the support of the GIS Board, has over the past one and a half years, been able to address some of these herculean challenges, he said.
Mr Kobby Acheampong, the Deputy Minister for the Interior, assured the officers and men of the government's commitment towards ensuring, that the GIS had all the assistance it needed to effectively perform its duties.
He however cautioned Immigration officers against activities that tainted the image of the service.
The Deputy Minister said the issue of illegal mining in the country, especially in the Ashanti and Western, was of great concern to the government, stressing that some preliminary investigations indicated there are a lot of foreigners involved in the illegality, were brought in by Ghanaian collaborators to circumvent the immigration laws.
He said evidence also suggests that the illegal entry of some foreigners is facilitated by unscrupulous Immigration Officers, who profit financially from such criminal acts.
Mr. Acheampong said the Ministry of the Interior was very much concerned with the reports and "would not hesitate to order a full-scale inquiry into the conduct of officers whose names came up, as being involved in such activities".
He said the country's forests, water bodies and the entire environment are being destroyed as a result of illegal mining activities.
"The role of the GIS and other stake-holder institutions is very critical in this national crusade against illegal mining activities."
Mr. Acheampong later inaugurated a nine-member committee, to over-see the implementation of a four-year strategic plan, which is the road map of the GIS, to guide them in their endeavors for the next four years. The plan was launched a year ago.