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