Chief Superintendent Dr. (Med) Birgit Nuro-Panin, Head of the Psychiatry Division on the Police Hospital
A high police officer has revealed that Ghana’s present bail system for drug possession circumstances is a major impediment within the struggle towards illicit drug trafficking.
In accordance with Chief Superintendent Dr. (Med) Birgit Nuro-Panin, Head of the Psychiatry Division on the Police Hospital, the flexibility for suspects to be bailed so shortly permits them to evade additional investigation and prosecution, undermining police efforts to dismantle drug networks.
Talking at a JoyNews dialogue titled “Breaking the Chains: Ghana’s Opioid Disaster,” Dr. Nuro-Panin defined that the fast launch of suspects poses a significant problem to legislation enforcement.
“When you choose somebody up, as soon as they can return into their neighborhood, they can cover higher as a result of we aren’t monitoring the person who we have picked up,” she mentioned.
She elaborated that police depend on info and intelligence gathered throughout an arrest to conduct “greater drug sweeps” and hint the availability chain.
Nonetheless, with suspects typically bailed inside an hour, this window of alternative is misplaced.
“By the point you get your crucial intelligence, they’ve gone underground,” she lamented.
The police officer additionally emphasised the essential position of proof in profitable prosecutions, which turns into tough to safe when the first supply of intelligence disappears.
“It is not a matter of, oh yeah, we caught this individual they usually mentioned individual A or individual B is a distributor or an importer. So with the shortage of proof, it turns into tougher to prosecute,” she added.
Dr. Nuro-Panin’s feedback make clear one of many key systemic challenges in combating Ghana’s escalating drug drawback.
Latest information from the Narcotic Management Board reveals a regarding pattern, with 50,000 drug customers in Ghana, of which 35,000 are college students aged between 12 and 35.
Essentially the most generally abused opioids embrace Tramadol, in addition to the stronger and illicitly imported Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.
Authorities and regulatory our bodies just like the Meals and Medicine Authority (FDA) have ramped up efforts to fight the disaster, together with the reclassification of Tramadol as a managed substance and the destruction of huge consignments of unlawful opioids on the borders.
A joint activity pressure involving the FDA, Narcotics Management Fee (NACOC), and Customs has additionally been established to tighten border controls and conduct raids on illicit drug operations.
Nonetheless, the police’s wrestle with the bail system highlights a vital hole within the nation’s multifaceted strategy.
Whereas different companies give attention to provide discount and public consciousness, the flexibility of legislation enforcement to successfully prosecute offenders is being hampered by authorized provisions that, whereas supposed to guard particular person rights, are inadvertently irritating the struggle towards drug crime.
The challenges raised by Dr. Nuro-Panin underscore the necessity for a complete assessment of authorized frameworks to raised assist the efforts of safety companies in tackling the nation’s drug disaster.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Feedback, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform don’t essentially signify the views or coverage of Multimedia Group Restricted.
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