The Interior Ministry says it is collaborating with the police service to implement measures that will prevent further jail breaks in prisons across the country.
There have been several major cell breaks reported in the last few months, including one at Denu where seven prisoners escaped, although four of them have since been recaptured.
[contextly_sidebar id=”NvMrPgiwWGr87H9UyYNSELaoaQ5tUWoW”]Much more recently, 2 prisoners escaped from the Tepa Police cell in Asiwa in the Ashanti Region after they reportedly used some tools to break the metal bars in the cells.
The recent prison breaks have led to heightened fears of members of the public over their safety and the effectiveness of the prison systems in the country.
However, the Deputy Interior Minister James Agalga has assured the public that the Ministry is working with the police to find solutions to curb this recent menace.
“When suspects break from jail, definitely the ministry will be worried but I want to assure Ghanaians that the Ministry is working very closely with the police administration to find a lasting solution to this problem of jail break,” he told Citi News.
“As a Ministry we have put in place measures and with those measures, with the support of Ghanaians if we eventually pass the much-anticipated legislation on non-custodial measures, we may not need to keep people behind bars,” he added.
Recent cell breaks not a sign of armageddon
The Police Public Affairs Director Superintendent Cephas Arthur in an interview with Citi News sought to calm the public’s fears stating that it will be needless for Ghanaians to worry about the recent cell breaks since the occurence is not new.
He noted that there is no reason for Ghanaians to “throw their hands in the air and cry Armageddon” since the phenomenon might never be eradicated.
“Nothing is going wrong. This is trivial escape. Trivial escape has been with us since time immemorial. This is a phenomenon that has plagued the world and we may never be able to eradicate it, just manage it,” he said.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana