Accra, Aug. 2, GNA - Thirty-one officers from security agencies have undergone a training programme to sharpen their skills on basic drug enforcement techniques to enable them to adopt innovative strategies in the prevention and detection of illicit drug trafficking. Representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, Narcotics Control Board and the Prosecutor's Office of the Attorney Generals' Department attended the two-week course sponsored by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

Presenting certificate s to the trainees at a ceremony in Accra, Mrs. Naana Amprutwum, Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, said Government would continue to enforce its policies and intensify surveillance on drug peddling to make the venture unattractive. She said equipping security officers with more techniques on areas such as counter narcotics, sea and port enforcement operations and border inspection was therefore crucial to augment Government's efforts to track down the peddlers.

Mrs Amprutwum said societies in recent times were not only concerned with the implications of drug peddling on economies, but also on difficulties encountered by the families of such culprits who were bread winners.

She therefore commended the US Embassy for sponsoring the programme and called for more collaboration between Ghana and US to strengthen security.

Nana Egyin Buadu, Chief Collector in-charge of the Narcotic Unit of the Customs, Excise and Prevention Service (CEPS), told GNA that the trainees had benefited a lot from the programme.

He identified closer collaboration between governments globally as the only means to rid countries of hard drugs.

Mr. Al Czerski, an Instructor for the Drug Enforcement Administration, commended the trainees for hard work and dedication during the course and urged them to impart the knowledge to other colleagues. 2 Aug. 07