He said security was a priority component of development, and therefore should not be compromised because without peace and security there could not be development and free movement of people.

Mr Dery was speaking during a working tour to the Western North Region to familiarise himself with the operation of the Agencies under the Ministry in the region.

They are Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, National Disaster Management Organisation and National Identification Authority.

According to him, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision is to ensure that each and every one in Ghana feel safe and that under the President, there had been a paradigm shift in moving the issue of security from the back burner to one of priority status.

The Minister added that peace and security were very paramount in the development of any nation, therefore, Government would continue to ensure that the security services were well trained, retooled and those due promotion are accordingly promoted.

He commended President Akufo-Addo for the creation of the Western North Region, and said it would bring services closer to the people and facilitate their work.

Mr Dery noted that Western Region at the time was so vast and could hamper development since one had to travel far to the regional capital to transact business.

The Minister urged the security services not to be involved in chieftaincy matters, but they must ensure that chieftaincy issues did not disturb the peace and security of the country.

 Mr Dery, who first called on the Western North Regional Minister, Mr Richard EbbahObeng, commended him and the Regional Security Council for their good work and said Western North, was relatively calm.

He assured the Regional Minister that measures would be put in place to establish Ghana Prisons Service in the region.

Mr Dery said the concerns of the agencies such as accommodation and logistics would be looked at.

 He commended the Church of Pentecost for their continuous support in building prison camps across the country.

According to the Minister, the Government had procured two helicopters for the Police Service which were being assembled, adding “the helicopters will help the service to perform its duties well.”

The Minister appealed to chiefs to give lands to the government for national buildings for the benefit of all.

Mr Dery inaugurated a four-storey residential accommodation for the Ghana Immigration Service at Dadieso.

Similarly, the Minister inaugurated the State Housing Company residential accommodation for Ghana Immigration Service Western North Command.

The Regional Minister thanked Mr Dery for the visit and appealed to him to continue to support the security services so that they can help fight crime and other illegal activities in the region.