Government’s efforts at fighting the narcotic drug menace and illegal armed trafficking received a boost on Tuesday as officials of Yahuda Security Management Consulting, a top United Kingdom security firm arrived in Accra to assist national security agencies. They would discuss with national security officials wide-ranging security matters, international trade in drugs including cocaine, illegal arms, armed robbery and links to possible terrorism. In an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra, Ms Cynthia Mensa one of the Senior Directors of Yahuda Security Consulting, said the visit was initiated by the recent visit of President John Evans Atta Mills to the UK. “Officials of Yahuda were inspired by the humility and commitment of President Mills’ team during interaction with the Ghanaian community in UK and keen to assist the government in whatever way possible to prevent Ghana from descending into a hub of the international trade in hard drugs and related items,” Ms Mensa stated. In a related development, Dr Ebenezer Tetteh, Chief Executive Officer of Yahuda Security Management Consulting in a statement to Ghana News Agency said areas of particular interest were realistic optimisation of airport and coastal security, protection of sensitive strategic installations, stemming the tide of the drugs trade and prevention of terrorism. He said: “It is unacceptable that Ghana, a beacon of African democracy, should degenerate into a superhighway for international cocaine trade,” stressing that wherever the trade has flourished, serious crime and proliferation of illegal arms, armed robberies, car hijacking and terrorist activity emerged. “It would be a tragedy to allow Ghana’s respectable international image to be permanently damaged by this extremely worrying development with serious implications for the millions of law-abiding citizens”. Dr Tetteh noted that although the nation’s image had taken some battering in the past few years as a result of drug trafficking and armed robberies, it was not too late to reserve the trend and re-establish Ghana as a zone that was intolerant of drug trafficking and associated crime. As part of the visit, the team would hold high level discussion with officials of the security agencies, explore credible ways for collaboration, and organise a two-day security workshop in Accra. Source: GNA