The success of prison officers can only be determined by their ability to transform and reform prison inmates into law-abiding citizens, Mr Richard Kuuire, Director General of Prisons, has told a durbar of officers of the local prison at Bawku in the Upper East Region during his recent tour of prisons in the region.

In this light, prison officers must break away from the old tradition of confining prisoners to their cells and doing very little to change their character. Mr Kuuire said his visit to Bawku, which formed part of a familiarisation tour of the three northern regions, was also to afford him the opportunity to discuss with the officers how to move the service forward.

He pointed out that his mission is to restructure the service to look more professional to discharge its duty efficiently to society. Mr Kuuire bemoaned the attitude of some officers who in the past did not want to attend in-service training, adding that competence in any field of endeavour can only be achieved with knowledge.

The Director-General explained that his administration would ensure that promotion of officers would now be based on merit, emphasising that only those who proved their worth would be promoted to the next rank.

He warned those officers who indulge in the trafficking of Indian hemp and other hard drugs in the prisons to desist from the practice or face dismissal and subsequent prosecution when caught. He earlier in the day paid a courtesy call on the paramount chief of Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II.

Mr Kuuire told the Bawku Naba and his elders that the service intends to embark on a vigorous prisoners' training programme to give at least a trade to every inmate in the country's prisons. When the time comes, the Bawku Naba would be called upon to assist with land for farming and any other things that the service would need from him, he added.

Naba Azoka told the Director-General that his doors were always open for him to come and seek any assistance he might require. At a meeting with inmates of the prison, the Director- General assured them that plans were far advanced to solve their accommodation and sanitation problems. He asked the inmates to constantly reflect on what brought about their imprisonment and strive to reform in order not to return to the cells again.

Mr Kuuire appealed to the churches and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to the aid of the service to improve upon the living conditions of the inmates.