150 Cops trained to help protect assets of Mining Companies

 

Personnel of the Ghana Police Service deployed to mining companies have been urged to execute their duties with professionalism in accordance with the code of ethics of the Service.

Mr Christopher Opoku Nyarko, Chief Director Analysis, Research and Finance of the Ghana Chamber of Minesadvised them to avoid violating the fundamental human right of the community members in the mining areas they have been assigned to.

Mr Nyarko made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), at a training workshop the chamber organised for 150 police personal at the Ghana Police Command and Staff College, in Winneba.

According to him the training,organisedperiodically,was part of collaboration with the Police Service to help protect assets of the various Mining Companies.

Such trainings, Mr Nyarko indicated, helped to improve theservice deliveryof personnel sent to the mining areas and the country.

“This is the reason we brought a team comprising the Chamber Legal Person, Madam Sheila MinkahPremo and some operational officers from the mines led by the chairman of the Chamber Security committee,” he said.

Mr Edwin Asare from Goldfields Ghana Limited, Madam Theresa AbremaObosu, Senior AdministrativeOfficer, Training and Project of Anglo Gold Ashanti andNr Martin BaahAwhireng, Security Manager of Perseus Mining Company limited, were the facilitators.

They schooled the participants on the “Minerals and Mining Act, what the Public Security Officer needed to know, ethical considerations on mining, voluntary principles on security and human rights and security threats in mining operations and response,” among others.

In their presentations, the external security personnel were urgedto cooperate with the internal security for effective joint operationsand to report any challenges to the authorities for redress.

DSP Moses GyanMpettey, Staff Officer Operations, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, thanked the organisers of the training and assured them that the men will make good use of the knowledge and skills they had acquiredto bring sanity to the various company’s areas of operation.

GNA