Accra, July 26, GNA - Major General Joseph Boateng Danquah, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), on Tuesday called for closer collaboration between security services to create the enabling environment for peace to thrive in the country.

"I believe there should be a collaborative effort between the security agencies to move this country forward", he said. Maj. Gen. Danquah made the comments when he addressed a durbar of officers and men of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the CEPS Headquarters at the Ministries in Accra as part of efforts to forge closer links among the security services.

The CDS had earlier called on the CEPS Commissioner, Maj. Gen. Richardson Baiden to familiarise himself with the workings of the institution.

Maj. Gen. Danquah stressed the need for all security personnel to support, respect, and to have confidence in each other, irrespective of their roles and which agency he or she belonged to.

"The catchword is teamwork. Whatever role each security agency plays, they should support each other."

He exhorted security personnel to respect their uniforms and to have a professional and institutional pride to perform their duties, saying: "We owe it a duty to perform creditably for the sake of our dear country.

"Lets all resolve to work very hard. When we work hard, we move the country forward", he said.

He noted that as human institutions, differences might arise between personnel of the security agencies, but advised that when these occurred they should exercise maximum restraint and use accepted procedures to resolve issues.

The CDS commended CEPS for meeting its target last year and exhorted them to work even harder to maximise revenue generation and collection.

Maj. Gen. Danquah had visited the Police Service, the Prisons Service and the Ghana National Fire Service since he took office recently.