SPEECH FOR THE SECURITY, INTELLIGENCE AND

INVESTIGATION AWARDS DAY HELD ON SATURDAY,

THE 25TH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2014 AT THE GHANA ARMED FORCES STAFF

AND COMMAND COLLEGE

 

The Honourable Chair Person, Colleagues of the Security, Investigative and Intelligence fraternity, Invited Guests, The Media, all Representations, Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome each and every one to this all important, landmark and Historical awards day, a day never to be forgotten, a day that should perpetually remind us to keep praying for Dr. Ernest who by his selfless and personal initiative, effort and expenditure made it possible for us to meet and to have one common front.

 

Our industry had been a scattered, headless, and non-respected industry on our shore – Africa.  This is because we have no common front, no policies guiding us and every group, body or person could behave and or, treat anything and anybody anyhow.  We are seen in this profession as people who only spy on persons and organizations and report.  We are actually seen as enemies of society to the extent that even some Government institutions would ask when we also came into being and that they are not ready to cooperate with us.

 

Most of these are due to our own conduct within the industry.  We conduct ourselves unprofessionally, we employ the unprofessional personnel who intend use unprofessional means, we do not renumerate our colleague employees properly, we are not interested in continuous education and on the job training, we wanted to become rich and recognized too quickly.  In fact examples abound but not for now.

 

Services: Background Checks, Surveillance, Employee Screening, Document Verification, Undercover Investigations, Fraud Prevention and Detection Training, Skip-Tracing, Security Awareness Training, Pretext, Criminal and Civil Investigations, Matrimonial Investigations, Investigative Training, Interviewing and Interrogation, Research Experts, Hospital Security, Shop Detective, Insurance Investigations, Industrial Investigations, Shop Lifting, Service checkers, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence,  Etc.

 

My contention is that, this gathering should be used as a platform to usher in a new era for our profession.  When we talk about total security, we are talking about Investigation.  Investigation that leads to Intelligence and, Intelligence if correctly gathered per proper investigative methods and managed well, leads to Security.  This means that the Investigative Personnel, Intelligence Personnel and Security Personnel are so much inter-woven that none can perform without the existence of the other.  We are all one.  We need each other.

 

What I see as the stumbling block are two: the first one is promotion of individualism and the second one is Non-Sacrificialism.  Since everybody wanted to make ends meet, nobody in this industry is ready to sacrifice his/her services as such and at any cost.  I have so many examples to give. I had been ready to give FREE education/training to our Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly Guards/Wardens.  FREE of CHARGE yet even to accept this gesture was and is too difficult for them.  Meanwhile I am of the utmost conviction that those guards who are already in the security industry could be turned around to become professional securities thereby instituting the principle of Community Policing. 

 

Community policing should not be seen as sole responsibility of the state.  We in our industry could play a major role.

Until today, it is only Ghana Broadcasting Corporation that understood the sense in my free training and invited me for same which I believe they could testify was successful.  All others including some Universities, Polytechnics, Hospitals either refused to understand or, did not understand same.  Instead of inviting me for explanation, this good policy had been brushed aside.

 

Private Investigators/Intelligence Personnel/Security Officers are part and parcel of society.  We have the right to act as every citizen would act but our said action must be more professional than the ordinary citizen.  We are able to help keep the Peace and Report criminals.  This I personally attempted to do and was met with the fiercest of resistance not from any other individual but rather, the institution I am helping; The Department of Social Welfare.  But we should not be discouraged.  We need to come together and forge ahead in unison.

 

This gathering should bring us together with one and common front, not necessarily to become rich over night or as spies only.  Our industry is not just about spying.  We are professional interviewers and interviewing is not about spying but rather, meeting the interviewee in person and knowing how to plead to his conscience to tell the truth.  We should not make this industry seem to people like their enemies.We are ready to join Associations from other shores and continents.  Why not have our own association with very strict code of conduct.  We have associations like USAPI, etc. and some of us are members.  Why not form and join associations such as African Association of Professional Investigators (AAPI), Africa Union Association of Professional Investigators (AUPI). 

 

Let us also consider local associations like Ghana Association of Professional Investigators (GAPI), Nigerian Association of Professional Investigators (NAPI), Cote D’Ivoire Association of Professional Investigators (CAPI), Cameroon Association of Professional Investigators (CAMPI), etc., we can do it only if we are determined. Be-Great Security and Intelligence Academy founded by selfless mentor Dr. Ernest is here to educate and train any and all of our industry players.  Why should we be still dealing with unprofessionalism when Be-Great Academy is here for our good?   Let us patronize it and if it comes to field work, Global Eye Investigation Services, even you are all here and ready to help.  It is my fervent wish that this is just the beginning of a new era for our industry.Long Live Private Investigation Industry, Long Live Intelligence Industry, and Long Live the Security Industry. 

Thank you.