81 Forestry Commission staff trained to fight forest crime

Some 81 field staff of the Forestry Commission have been trained to fight illegal loggers, miners, farmers and settlors.The eighty men and one lady were trained at the 64 Infantry Regiment Training School in Asutuare in the Shai-Osudoku District of the Greater Accra region.The trainees were taken through a three week's intensive training in physical fitness, weapon handling, survival skills, basic tactics, administering first aid in the jungle, communication skills and human rights in law enforcement.Mr Musah Superior, Deputy Chief Executive Officer , Forestry Commission, read a speech on behalf of Mr John Allotey, CEO, in a short closing ceremony.He noted that the core mandate of the Commission was to protect and manage the forest and that the field staff played a pivotal role in fulfilling that core mandate.However, he indicated that the field staff were usually threatened by the activities of illegal loggers and miners, farmers and settlors who possessed deadly and offensive weapons.He said the re had been several instances where field staff were killed by some illegal loggers and miners.Mr Superior said overall, the Commission had trianed 1,104 field staff since 2017.He said more personnel would be trained because the Commission intended to build the capacity of all frontline staff.He urged the trainees to apply all the knowledge they had acquired during the training and ensure it reflected in their daily activities.Lieutenant Colonel Prince Frimpong Owusu, who gave a welcome address on behalf of the Training School, commended the trainees for completing the course.Source: Ghana News Agency