NACOB STEPS UP SURVEILLANCE (PAGE 26, JAN 6, 2010)

Although the Western Region is not notorious in the illicit drugs trade compared with other regions in the country, it has had its fair share of this global problem.
The Takoradi Zonal Office of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has since the beginning of this year, co-ordinated several raids, arrests and actions in the region as the lead agency in the fight against illicit drugs.
Prominent among them is the unravelling of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of some bags of sugar suspected to be containing cocaine at the Takoradi Harbour, the retrieval of a container of frozen poultry products from the Takoradi Port, also suspected to be laden with cocaine and the examination of a broken-down helicopter suspected of being used to smuggle narcotic drugs to the United Kingdom.
As a result of these reported illicit drug activities in the region, the NACOB together with the various agencies involved in the fight against drug trafficking, has stepped up surveillance on the various narcotic hot spots in the region and also arrested some key players in the supply chain.
The board is currently gathering intelligence on the manufacture, supply and use of narcotics in the Western Region.
It is also extensively mapping out the region on the basis of narcotic activities to aid the board in its enforcement activities.
The board is also in the process of making some recommendations to the Western Regional Security Council (REGSEC), based on intelligence it has gathered.
Besides, the board has drawn up a comprehensive education and outreach programme in an effort to intensify its public education to enlighten the general public on the evils of illicit drugs.
The programme has taken the board to many second cycle institutions in the region where symposia have been held and students who have had a brush with illicit drugs counselled.
Briefing heads of departments of the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (WRCC) in Sekondi, the Zonal Head of NACOB in charge of Western and Central Regions, Mr Roger Vanderpuye, explained that in the tertiary institutions the board had been helping to orientate fresh students.
He said the board had also been delivering lectures, particularly during the hall week celebrations of the institutions.
“NACOB’s educational activities are not only restricted to the schools,” he further explained, adding “we also visit churches and other public places where we preach our message of abstinence from illicit drugs”.
Touching on future activities, he said, the zonal office would soon roll out a programme under which educational activities would be carried out at the various educational institutions based on intelligence gathered on their narcotic activities.
“We will continue to hold periodic coordinating meetings with agencies involved in the fight against narcotic drugs with the view of securing a collective strategy in the drug fight in the region”, he said.
Considering the scope of work, he said the board was currently woefully understaffed and under-resourced, saying “our staff strength stands at only two including me”.
Mr Vaderpuye explained that these were some of the reasons why the NACOB had still not been able to open an office at the Elubo Border Post in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.
He said the fight against illicit drugs involved a collaborative effort by organisations and agencies and appealed to all to assist the board since a narcotic-infested country would end up destroying its people.
The Narcotics Control Board is a statutory agency under the Ministry of the Interior, charged with the responsibility of ensuring a drug-free society through the use of methods aimed simultaneously at reducing both supply and demand.
These measures are enforced by a programme of strict enforcement of the country’s drug laws, educating the populace on the ills of drug usage and finally treating, rehabilitating and reintegrating addicts into the society.