The German government has presented a Mercedes Benz Sprinter vehicle to facilitatethe operations of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), in dealing with incidence of drug abuses in the country.
The vehicle which was procured at a cost of 77,000 euros, was customised to convey eight detective dogs as well as their technical handlers, to strengthen the Commission’s operations at the various entry points in the country.
At a presentation yesterday in Accra, the Deputy German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Helge Sander, who handed over thekeys of the vehicle to the Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery said the gesture was to strengthen the Commission’s operations.
He said, since West African countries had now become a transit point for drug trafficking, there was the need to equip the country’s security personnel to clamp down on illicit operations.
Mr Sander said, the embassy through the German government had over the years provided technical training to NACOC, and promised that, the other security agencies, namely the Ghana Armed Forces, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ghana Police Service would be presented with a similar vehicles each.
Mr Dery expressed gratitude on behalf of the government, for the unflinching support the ministry continued to receive from the German government.
“I am aware of the many supports that Germany through the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has been rendering to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), an agency under myministry.
“My understanding is that, there exist a strong spirit of cooperation between NACOC and BKA, a working relationship spanning a couple of decades. That, through this enduring co-operation, BKA has supported NACOC with several technical and logistical supports,” he said.
Mr Dery, highlighting some of the support received from BKA, said, in 2019, BKA donated a 250kVA capacity generator plant, detective dogs, as well as training the detective dog handlers of the NACOC K9 Unit.
He assured that the vehicle would be put to good use, and urged NACOC to ensure good maintenance culture of the vehicle.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
The post German govt presents vehicle to strengthen NACOC operations appeared first on Ghanaian Times.