The Chief Director for the Ministry of the Interior, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, has urged the recruits of the Ghana Prisons Service to be disciplined, hardworking and uphold the tenets of the Service for greater heights.
She said the recruits should bear in mind that the Ghana Prisons Service strives for discipline and upholds the ideals of vigilance, humanity, fortitude and integrity. “These principles should guide you throughout your career if you are to succeed”, she stated.
Mrs. Anno-Kumi said this during the passing out ceremony of 473 Ghana Prisons Service recruits at the Prison Officers Training School in Accra after five months of intensive training. The recruits were made up of 295 males and 178 females from various professional and vocational backgrounds with some of them selected based on the manpower needs of the Service.
The recruits studied reception duties, penal law, computation of inmates’ sentences, inter-personal skills, prison duties and first aid amongst others. The training session also included practical instruction in drills and various physical training activities.
The Chief Director noted that prison work is demanding and involves working with men and women who have been deprived of their liberty, many of whom are likely to be mentally disturbed, suffering from addictions, have poor social and educational skills and come from marginalized groups in society.
She said in dealing with different groups of inmates who have been deprived of their liberty and face confinement, there is a need for the Prisons Officers to be patient and treat the inmates kindly as per international protocols and standards that they have signed up for.
Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi urged individuals and organisations to support the Ghana Prisons Service to deliver on its mandate to reduce inmates from re-offending.
Awards were presented to deserving recruits. Recruit Officer Asare Baffour Dwobeng, received the Overall Best Recruit Award. Sally Nelly Ackon received the award as Commandant. Ebenezer Tetteh was Best in Physical Training and Maxwell Koomson received the award of Best in Drills.