Farewell ceremony for Volta/Oti Prisons Commander
THE Volta/Oti Regional Commander of Prisons, DDP Raphael Kwasi Tuekpe, last Friday ended his 32-year career in the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) with an emotional pulling out ceremony in Ho.
Advertisement
The Deputy Director of Prisons served in that capacity from August 25, 2023, to July 31 2024.
Prior to that, he served as Commanding Officer and Regional Commander at the Ghana Prisons Headquarters in Accra from October 2022 to August 24, 2023.
DDP Tuekpe was the Officer-in-Charge of the James Camp Prison between July 2020 and October 2022, after serving as Second-in-Command, and later acting as Officer-in-Charge at the same facility between 2019 and October 2022.
At a church service which preceded the pulling out ceremony, the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, commended DDP Tuekpe for his dedication to duty, and punctuality to Regional Security Council (REGSEC) meetings, as well as his valiant contributions to the duties of the council.
“We are proud we worked with you, and we will never forget you for what you have done for the region, so far as security is concerned,” he added.
Dr Letsa said the GPS was an essential part of the security architecture of the country, adding that DDP Tuekpe worked ceaselessly to protect that noble status of the service.
A citation presented to DDP Tuekpe by the Ho Central Prison, said he worked to improve on infrastructure, sanitation and the welfare needs of both officers and inmates through his proactive initiatives.
Other Trending Stories
“Worth noting is the upliftment of various offices and the Ho Central Prison, immediately you took over, coupled with the reconstruction of a new septic tank for the inmates of the Ho Central and Female prisons,” the citation added.
Further, the citation said, DDP Tuekpe worked tirelessly to collaborate with other security agencies, departments and non-governmental organisations to ensure that the Volta Region was peaceful and safe for ordinary citizens to go about their normal duties without fear.
DDP Tuekpe, who is married with two children, thanked the Volta Regional Coordinating Council and his colleagues in the GPS for supporting him to discharge his duties with merit.
He urged prisons officers to work valiantly to lift the image of GPS to greater heights.
Meanwhile, an old borehole in the forecourt of the Ho Central Prison has been mechanised at a cost of GH₵15, 000 to enable it to pump water to the correctional centre and homes of prisons officers.
This comes days before the pulling out ceremony.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Afadzato South, Angela Alorwu Tay, who funded the project, said convicted criminals only lost their right to personal freedom and not their right to personal liberties.
She said the water supply from the borehole would not only augment supplies from the Ghana Water Company Limited but also improve on sanitation at the prison.
