By Francis Kobena Tandoh
With the end of the Gun Amnesty Programme (GAP), the government is moving to seeing to the enforcement of the law on possessing firearms in the country, Minister for Interior Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, the minister observed that the end of the GAP does not signal the end of the government’s efforts but marks a transitional phase to full enforcement of the law on firearm possession.
He said, “The conclusion of the Gun Amnesty Programme does not signal the end of the government’s efforts. Rather, it marks a transition from voluntary compliance to full enforcement of the law,” said the minister.
He announced that the government will screen and conduct rigors checks on persons who surrendered their firearms but intend to regularise them.
“Background checks will be conducted, and those who qualify will undergo firearms safety and competency training before having their firearms duly registered for them. I wish to emphasise that registration of the firearms presented during the amnesty will not be automatic but dependent on applicants’ qualifications,” Muntaka added.
He announced that law enforcement agencies will intensify intelligence-led operations across the country for full enforcement of the law.
According to him, joint operations, targeted searches, swoops at identified hotspots, and surveillance of criminal networks will be carried out to retrieve unregistered or illicit firearms and ensure that all firearms that do not meet the requisite legal requirements will be confiscated by the Ghana Police Service.
He warned that any person(s) found in possession of illicit firearm(s) will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
To ensure full operationalisation and enforcement, the interior minister announced that the informant regime will be activated soon, where individuals who volunteer reliable and credible information on people possessing illicit firearms will be rewarded by the government.
He also emphasised the government has taken concrete measures to further secure the country’s borders against the trafficking of illicit arms.
The minister urged citizens to remain law-abiding and to support the security agencies with credible information. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
