W/ Regional minister visits Sekondi Central Prisons

 The Western Regional Min­ister, Joseph Nelson, visited the Sekondi Central Prisons Command, to familiarise himself with challenges of the facility.

He urged the prisons officers to maintain high standards in the dis­charge of their duties, saying “the job of keeping inmates safe and also reforming them is not a small responsibility”.

Mr Nelson said: “against all the odds, you have flagged some of the challenges you are facing in the discharge of your responsibility.”

He gave the assurance that as chairman of Regional Security Council, he would support the command to discharge its duties.

Mr Nelson called on the public to collaborate with the Ghana Prison Service and other security agencies to enable them maintain law and order, protect lives and property, and deal with crime.

The minister gave the assurance that he would help on seeking the wellbeing of the inmates, saying“ir­regular power supply, water prob­lems, and inadequate accommoda­tion for both officers and inmates are my priority.”

Mr Nelson continue that there was the need for the expansion of the Sekondi Central Prisons or the construction of an additional one.

He also stated that he would liaise with Ministry of the Interior to address challenges facing the Sekondi Central Prisons.

Deputy Director of the Prisons (DDP), Western Region, Abraham Allotey, added that the Sekondi Central Prisons needed assistance to enable it discharge its duties effectively.

He mentioned overcrowd­ing, inadequate accommodation, electricity supply, water, equipment for training inmates as some of the problems affecting the smooth running of the facility.

DDP Allotey noted that the main Sekondi-Takoradi Prisons, constructed in 1902, by the colonial government, currently, has 612 inmates.

He said the Prisons Service needed support to be able to reform inmates and give them employable skills, such as tailoring and carpentry.

FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SEKONDI