Prisons Ambassador calls on Lt General Smith

Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith, Ghana's Ambassador to the United States, has tasked the Security Services to ensure that applicants with the right track records are recruited.

He said proper scrutiny of applicants would prevent the situation, where miscreants find their way into the security agencies to perpetrate crime.

A statement issued in Accra said Lt Gen Smith was speaking during a courtesy call on him by Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Ambassador Extraordinaire of Prisons and Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation at the Embassy's office in Washington DC.

The visit was to introduce the National Stop Crime Campaign launched by the Prisons Ambassador to the officials of the Embassy and to also seek possible collaboration.

He, therefore, called for thorough background checks as pertained in the developed countries for information on applicants, who aimed to be in the profession.

He commended the Prisons Ambassador on his initiative of using Prison documentaries to sensitise the public on the dangers of crime.

He said his office would collaborate with the Prisons Ambassador to ensure that his documentaries on prison life reach a large number of the Ghanaian Community in the United States, especially the youth, whom he said were easily roped into the crime net.

Lt Gen Smith hailed the recent government interventions to improve the deplorable conditions in the country's prisons and urged Mr Kwarteng to work even harder to reach out to a large segment of Ghanaians on his initiative.

He called on him to remain steadfast in the midst of challenges that may naturally come his way in the course of his work but must endeavour to always put the national interest first.

He expressed the hope that the programme, the first of its kind in Ghana would go a long way to significantly reduce crime.

On his part, Mr Kwarteng assured Lt Gen Smith of his commitment to ensure that the campaign attain its objectives.

The Ghana Prisons Service Council conferred on Mr Kwarteng, "Ambassador Extraordinaire" for his dedication in projecting the welfare of prisoners and the deplorable prison conditions across.

Mr Kwarteng's latest documentary on prison conditions titled: “A Neglected Potential” moved the President, John Dramani Mahama to the Nsawam Prison to see at firsthand, the deplorable living conditions to enable him to push for a higher budgetary allocation for the Prisons Service.