....Enter Into The Security Services Is Questionable!!

It is mind boggling to know how the Ghanaian youth with much earnest has suddenly developed interest in the Security services. This calls for a more thorough professional and stiffer scrutiny of recruiting personnel into the services to avoid desperate criminals from barraging the services. The Armed Forces, the Prison, Police, Fire, and Immigration services have become so much attractive to the youth which raise more questions than answers that we need to explore and dealt with extensively.

Many may attribute the spontaneous snooping of Ghanaians in the security services to the SSSS pay policy which saw most institutions especially the police having their salaries soaring as never before as the striking reason, whiles others may also put the cause on the conscienceless evil of unemployment rife in the country as the pushing force of the Youth into our erratic security services. Be as it may, the onus lies on the agencies responsible for the recruitment to do due diligence before accepting individuals into the system.

Calling white color by its name and not referring to it as grey, politicians have taken over the recruitment process casting doubt on the quality and professionalism of the security agencies in this country. There were several instances where in coming government has to halt the training process of recruited police personnel to do further investigation on their qualification or otherwise before fully admitted into the training schools. What this means is that, the practice of foot soldiers or party faithful into the services is fully recognized in the recruitment process without recourse to competence and qualification. Is that the kind of tosh security services Ghana Needs?

What is more nauseating is the fact that most of these recruits do not go through the basic screening by the recruitment procedure but join their colleagues two weeks into training. It is therefore no surprise to see most of these security men and women find themselves as accomplishes in criminal activities by extorting money from unsuspected public. In other instances, some of the training schedules are being skipped by trainees for their connection to authorities from above.

The idleness of many Ghanaians especially those SHS graduates deem it appropriate to turn their frustration towards the security service without an iota of interest. There must be the passion to serve mother-Ghana in a capacity that really fascinate every individual but considering the security service as an employment avenue is something that cause for worry and must be addressed immediately to avert recruiting the very criminals our security agencies are meant to combat.

It is very alarming to learn that, forms for Fire, Police, Immigration, Prison and Army were in high demand anytime they re out to the public. It is also interesting to know how the youth has sleepless nights at the various post offices across the country just to get a form to buy. What has caused this ceaseless interest by Ghanaian Youth? Are they truly ardently interested in the security services or it is just a replacement of their keen interest need? After all, there is a saying that, in the absence of good, bad is accepted. It is very imperative on critics to delve into the inside out of the cause of high crime among the security agencies. Why are the security services reporting more crimes within than before? Could it be the disinterest of personnel?

Most recruits do not have the natural tendencies or inclination to enter the security service but found themselves there for one or two reasons. First, such an individuals see that opportunity as money making venture thereby conniving and condoning the very crime he or she suppose to curb and sometimes committing the crimes themselves. Secondly, extortions of drivers by policemen, Military men defrauding small scale miners, Customs officials draining the country of huge taxes, Immigration officials turn passport contractors, Prison guards selling narcotic substance to inmates and above all the huge corruption in the security services reported in the Ghanaian media may be vindictive evidence to these assertions.

Ghana cannot afford to be a state where people perceive our security services as partisan. There must be a meticulous means of enlistment for the sake of sanity. Politicians have held this country so long into ransom and civil society organizations, religious groups and human rights activist must rise to the occasion to add their voices to curtail the rot in the recruitment process into our security agencies. So long as we pay taxes in Ghana, there is also a social contract between the people and government, which include proper security services and as such, assiduousness must be applied and imbibed in the enlistment of personnel into our security system.

The duty to make things good for the citizenry does not lie in one person; it is also not the sole duty of government or non-governmental organizations but a collective effort of small contribution from the menial worker to the one in an air conditioned office with bow tie just as the meager tax you and I pay to keep the country going. The journey is far, but we must start with the very first step.

Kashaa Nuhu babnuh11@yahoo.com