Her Excellency the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson called on the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Ambrose Dery at his office in Accra.  The visit was to introduce herself to the Minister and discuss issues of bilateral relations between the two countries and how to collaborate in the area of security and other areas of importance for economic development.

Hon. Ambrose Dery gave her a warm welcome as the first female British High Commissioner to Ghana and expressed his gratitude for the visit. He said Ghana and United Kingdom (UK) has a special relationship which must be continuously strengthened.

The Minister expressed the Government of Ghana’s gratitude to the UK Government for the donation of 249,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines and handing over of an office facility to the Ghana Immigration Service to serve as Special Operations Unit to track down organized immigration crimes and document fraud-related issues. 

He said security is the number one priority of the Government and that considering security threats in the neighbouring countries, there is the need to ensure that proper measures are put in place to protect the country’s borders to prevent any security threats.

Hon. Ambrose Dery disclosed that for the past four years, the Government has focused on retooling the security services to improve the security service to residence ratio, curb crime, improve law and order and provide a safe and secure environment for socio-economic development.

He also said various reforms are being undertaken in the Ghana Police Service to reposition them well to deliver effectively and efficiently. He added that the Formed Police Unit (FPU) will be established in the remaining regions that do not have FPUs.

According to him, Ghana is attracting attention in a positive light because of her multi-party democracy which has helped in successful elections. He explained that Ghana believes in the rule of law and that is why anytime there is a misunderstanding in elections, the parties involved keep their disagreement with the due process to consolidate the peace and security of the country for the good of all.

The Minister stated that government will continue to retool the security services to augment their human resource and also to execute their functions well. He said the doors of the Ministry are opened for collaboration between Ghana and Britain in the area of security and other areas of importance.

On her part, H.E. Harriet Thompson said the issue of security is very important and must be a concern to all. She said the High Commission will continue to identify areas of collaboration to achieve common objectives between the two countries.

She thanked the Minister for the warm reception and look forward to more collaborations.