GIS Trains 146 Officers in Weapon Safety and Armoury Management

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has trained 146 officers in weapon safety and armoury management as part of efforts to strengthen operational discipline, accountability and national security.

The two-day capacity-building seminar, held at the Ghana Immigration Service Centre of Excellence (GISCE) in Accra, brought together selected Regional and Sector Commanders to enhance their knowledge and skills in the safe handling, storage, issuance and tracking of weapons and ammunition.

Speaking at the opening of the seminar at the Ghana Immigration Service Centre of Excellence (GISCE) in Accra, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, described the training as a timely intervention to protect officers, safeguard state-owned weapons, prevent the loss of firearms and ammunition, and sustain public confidence in the Service.

He urged participants to apply the knowledge acquired to improve practices within their commands, stating that proper weapon management remained fundamental to professionalism, discipline and operational readiness.

The Armorer General of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Isaac K. Asante, took participants through armoury management procedures, noting the risks associated with weak inventory controls, poor record-keeping and inadequate supervision of weapons.

He urged Regional and Sector Commanders to maintain accurate registers, conduct regular inspections and enforce strict procedures for the issuance and return of firearms and ammunition, stressing that every weapon and round of ammunition must be accounted for and traceable to a responsible officer.

The Head of Intelligence of the Ghana Immigration Service, DCOI Kwasi Opoku Apau, described the seminar as timely and necessary, particularly in view of the Service’s expanding responsibilities in border security and national security.

He noted that building the capacity of officers in weapon safety and armoury management was central to the Service’s aspiration to become a model institution in migration and border management.

The two-day seminar was organised in collaboration with armoury management experts from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service and the Small Arms Commission of Ghana.

Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD