Ghana: Unlicensed Weapon Holders Given Two Weeks To Hand Arms Over to Police GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION RADIO 1 Monday, February 5, 2001 The government has directed that all persons in possession of unlicensed weapons should submit them to the police. Weapons, which are stored at locations outside the strict control of the Ghana Armed Forces or the Police Service, must also be turned over to be stored in their authorized armories. A two-week moratorium, which takes effect from today, has been granted for these unauthorized weapons to be submitted, during which nobody will be penalized. These measures were announced by the minister of the interior, Alhaji Malik Alhasan Yakubu, at a news conference in Accra today. Felicia Asamoah sat in for Radio Ghana: (Begin recording) (Asamoah) The news conference dwelled on measures taken by government to retrieve unauthorized arms, and deal with the spate of armed robberies in the country. Alhaji Yakubu said some reward will be given to those who hand over their weapons. (Yakubu) After registration of the two-week moratorium, a joint exercise will be mounted by the Police and military to retrieve all unlicensed weapons and weapons stored in locations not authorized and controlled by the Armed Forces and the Police Service. Those found to be in possession of such weapons will face the full rigors of the law. (Asamoah) Alhaji Yakubu also hinted that the government is collaborating with the U.S. and other European countries to deal with the serial killing of women. He said his ministry will closely monitor police operations to ensure that they put in effective strategies to control the crime wave in the country. He urged the public to cooperate with the security agencies to give vital information that will lead to the arrest of these perpetrators. The government, he said, will equip the police to enable them to discharge their duties efficiently. Answering a question on the fate of the ACDR's (Associations for the Defense of the Revolution) and other revolutionary organs, the minister said under the Constitution, there is freedom of association. They can therefore exist, provided they operate within the law. Alhaji Yakubu, however, emphasized that revolutionary organs have no place in the security services. In an answer to another question, the national security adviser, Gen. Joshua Hamidu, said since there have been no complaints from the police that they are unable to maintain law and order, the military will continue to perform its traditional duties as mandated by the Constitution. He warned that those who want to disturb the peace and security of the nation will not have the chance to do so. The attorney general and minister of justice, Nana Akuffo-Addo, told the news conference that what the Police Service needs are adequate logistics and incentives to boost their morale.