Ghana-Italy Unite To Fight Organized Crime

The Governments of Ghana and Italy have intensified their resolve to fight organized crime and illegal immigration by signing agreements that would enable both the police and immigration agencies of both countries to collaborate in information sharing to check crime.

Addressing an Italian delegation led by the Italian Minister of Interior Robert Maroni at the Castle on Monday, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama stated that the level of sophistication being used by criminals across the world was a clear signal to governments that fighting crime was no longer the preserve of only one country.

He therefore reiterated the need for collaboration between countries, especially the developed and underdeveloped ones, to pool their resources to fight the menace of crime.

According to the vice-president Ghana will not hesitate to sign any agreement that will make the world a safer place to live.

He commended the Italian government for collaborating with Ghana to fight organized crime, trans border crimes, the drug menace, illegal migration and human trafficking.

Mr. Mahama said terrorism knew no bound and that the cost of living in peace was to be alert at all times, adding that illegal immigration and smuggling were cankers that needed to be weeded out.

Mr. Mahama indicated that young Africans, especially from Ghana, have lost their lives, in their quest to travel for greener pastures, embarked on dangerous journeys to migrate to Italy and other European countries.

He mentioned the death of about 40 Ghanaians in The Gambia as one of such dangerous ventures that had led to a stalled relationship between Ghana and The Gambia.

The vice-president therefore appealed to the Italian government to support Ghana with agricultural machinery and technology to revamp its agricultural sector to entice the youth to go into agricultural and to dissuade them from travelling abroad illegally.

He said the government of Ghana was determined to make Ghana a haven where the youth would be encouraged to stay in the country to deploy their talents for the development of the country.

The Italian delegation, who were accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Cletus Avoka and Appiah Kubi, the deputy Minister of the Interior later signed the two agreements at the Ministry of the Interior in Accra.

The agreement emphases capacity building and technical cooperation programmes to consolidated partnership approaches between Ghana and Italy.

It also seeks to provide exchange of information, joint operations and mutual visits.

“Moreover, it seeks to provide training and capacity building through professional seminars and courses, practical training as in the attachment of Immigration officers to Italian Immigration Operations.

“Lastly, the agreement seeks to provide technical support though the provision of equipment for Border control,” it said.

Hon. Avoka, signing on behalf of the government of Ghana, noted that “the world has become a Global village and Ghana as a member of the International Community has faced the same security challenges as experienced by many other countries.”

He mentioned that illegal immigration were characterized as trans-national crimes organized by international criminal organizations who were often connected to drug trafficking, terrorism, money laundering and arms trafficking.

Mr. Avoka acknowledged the importance of the agreement and said “this agreement therefore comes at an opportune time when the Ghana Immigration Service is expanding its Border Patrol Programme and requires all the support, both technical and financial to succeed.”

“The prospect of more training and equipment support for Ghana Immigration Service and the Police is very crucial in strengthening the Border management system as well as the enforcement capacities to combat cross border threats,” the Minister indicated.

He commended the Italian Government for the support and appealed for further assistance in all areas of Security for the Ghanaian Law Enforcement Agencies in their bid to curb and fight crime in the country.

For his part, Mr. Maroni praised the government of Ghana for its democratic principles and its role in curbing crime and maintaining peace in the sub-region.

He mentioned, in particular, internal security where Italian citizens residence in Ghana have mentioned that they have found Ghana a very peaceful place to live.

Mr. Maroni also said Italy was the only Schegen country that gives the highest of visas to Ghanaian applicants to Italy more than any other country.

He disclosed that the Italian government was putting in place measures to absorb qualified Ghanaians into the Italian economy, who wanted to live and work in Italy.

Mr. Maroni later presented 11 vehicles, made up of nine Toyota Land Cruisers with two of them to be uses as Ambulannces and two Toyota Coaster buses to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for the Border Patrol Unit of the GIS.

Present at the function were Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye, the Inspector-General of Police and some top GIS officials.

By Wisdom Peter Awuku and George Asirigo (Office Of The Vice President)