FOR BORDERS AND BICYCLES: INL FUNDING BUILDS

UNCLAS ACCRA 001923 SIPDIS INL PASS TO ALLISON HENRY-PLOTTS, US CUSTOMS TO BRUCE MERCER, DOJ/ICITAP FOR ERIC BEINHART, PARIS FOR CUSTOMS REP. GERARAD COTE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SNAR GH SUBJECT: FOR BORDERS AND BICYCLES: INL FUNDING BUILDS CAPACITY IN GHANA -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Two key INL programs moved forward in Ghana recently, with the completion of anti-corruption training for the Ghana Customs and Excise Protective Service (CEPS) and the donation of forty patrol bicycles to the Ghana Police Service (GPS). Both programs were well-received and well-attended by host government officials and officers, and the bicycle handover ceremony garnered significant local press coverage. The use of INL funding to support these initiatives enhances the capacity for the creation of an internal affairs unit in CEPS and a community policing program in the GPS. End summary. -------------- - BUILDING CAPACITY FOR CUSTOMS INTERNAL AFFAIRS -------------- - ¶2. On August 17-20, two trainers from the US Customs and Border Protection and the regional Customs representative in Paris conducted anti-corruption training with 35 mid- to senior-level officers of the CEPS in Accra. The training followed a needs assessment conducted by USCBP in December 2003 of CEPS' ability to monitor and control corruption within its own agency. A follow-up assessment will be conducted in early 2005. ¶3. In an address to open the training, the Commissioner of CEPS, Brigadier-General Richardson E. Baiden said, "As a service determined to create a new corporate image for itself, we are determined to prevent and control corruption in our midst by the implementation of a range of appropriate monitoring and control mechanisms such as internal check programs, internal and external auditing, and investigation and prosecution regimes." Noting that the Ghanaian government has committed itself to a "zero tolerance policy on corruption", Baiden promised to follow through with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to secure office space outside the main CEPS headquarters, which could enable the internal affairs unit to operate more efficiently and judiciously. ¶4. The participation of the Customs representative from Paris enabled CEPS officers to learn more about the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA),a bilateral agreement between the USG and GOG signed in December 2003 that is intended to assist both countries in the prevention and investigation of customs offenses. Although the CMAA had been in effect for nearly nine months at the time of the training, virtually none of the CEPS training participants were aware that it existed. By the end of the training, the officers were better informed about the nature of the CMAA and how they could incorporate it into their investigations. -------------- BICYCLES FOR COMMUNITY POLICING -------------- ¶5. On August 28, the US Embassy donated forty patrol bicycles to the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to support its ongoing community policing program. This program, established with the assistance of ICITAP in 2002, has so far only operated in one district in Accra. With the addition of forty bicycles to its existing stock, the GPS plans to expand the community policing program to the capital of the Ashanti region, Kumasi. At the ceremony to hand over the bicycles, the Chief Director for the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Edwin Barnes, thanked the USG for its ongoing support of this program and encouraged the police officers to use the bicycles to strengthen community policing in Ghana. A representative of the GPS and Embassy's PolOff also made remarks to acknowledge the donation. ¶6. The handover received widespread local news coverage, as well as requests from both the GPS and the Ministry of Interior for further assistance to the police. The GPS reportedly plans to train the Kumasi police on the bicycles by the end of September. The extensive press coverage of the bike handover has reinforced to the public our partnership in improving law enforcement. These INL programs should help reinforce the anti-corruption message and capabilities in Ghana, and enhance efforts at community policing. LANIER