Fifty Prison Officers receive medals

Fifty (50) deserving officers of the Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regional command of the Ghana Prisons Service, were honoured with the Long Service and Good Conduct medal awards at a ceremony last Wednesday at the Sunyani Central Prison canteen.

The Long Service and Good Conduct medal is an award given to officers who have distinguished themselves with exemplary service for 16 years and above without blemish in accordance with the traditions of the Ghana Prisons Service.

The 50 awardees, drawn from Sunyani Central and Female Prisons, Kenyase Camp Prison, Duayaw Nkwanta Camp Prison and Yeji Camp Prison, were considered duly qualified for the award as they have exhibited good character and dedicated service for the past 16 years and more.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Bono Regional minister, Hon. Justina Owusu Banahene, admonished officers to maintain the highest standards of respect and professional conduct at all times and avoid unprofessional behavior that could bring the service into disrepute, noting that awards were essential in the lives of workers as they serve as a great motivation for recipients and encourages them to work harder.

She urged public service institutions to take pride in rewarding staff periodically to ensure success and good performance and entreated young officers to emulate the good example of the awardees in the performance of their duties.

Hon. Owusu-Banahene urged the officers to treat inmates humanely as per the international protocols and standards. She charged the service to intensify the campaign against stigmatization of ex-convicts and entreated the public to rather support ex-convicts to reintegrate and live meaningful lives.

The Regional Commander of Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regions, DDP Benedict Bob-Dery, on his part, congratulated the awardees for serving with great dedication, commitment and also exhibiting high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

He observed that the service was going through hard times, as it was encountering severe constraints in delivering on its mandate of safe custody, welfare, reformation and rehabilitation of inmates, adding that the command was grappling with a huge office accommodation deficit and inadequate furniture in the prison facilities.

DDP Bob-Dery expressed concern over the inadequate feeding rate for inmates, adding that the Sunyani Central Prison which was initially constructed for 400 inmates now houses more than 900 inmates, resulting in acute overcrowding with its associated issues of frequent outbreak of communicable diseases.

He however, urged officers not to relent on the training received at the Prison Officers’ Training School but rather remain resilient and committed to the achievement of the mandate of the service.