2 Jul 2003 - The Commissioner of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Brigadier R.E. Baiden, has warned that officers of the service and others in the business community would not be handled with "kid gloves" when caught engaging in ,alpractices that could lead to loss of revenue to the state.

He was emphatic that a few misguided elements within the service and the business community would not be left to enjoy their booty while the development of the country suffered.
Brigadier Baiden gave the warning at a durbar held in Kumasi last Wednesday to interact with officers and men oft he service.
"To the officers and men, any short collection on their part will imply that they are colluding and that will lead to dismissal," he said. He urged the personnel of the service to change their mindset about their duties to help improve the livelihood of Ghanaians.
"Fifty percent of internally-generated revenue comes from the CEPS, therefore, anything short of that will deny the people of Ghana decent living," he added.
Brigadier Baiden announced that a new condition of service has been approved and added that, "the conditions are attainable if personnel work hard." He said laws under whic the CEPSwas operating were being reviewed to make it more vibrant in line with the golden age of business. He disclosed that five committees had been put in place to help to identify all problems pertaining to the srvice and how those problems could be solved.
He observed that the image of the service had gone so low that it was synonymous with corruption. To solve that problem, he said, new management courses at the Ghana Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA) had been initiated for senior personnel.
Brigadier Baiden cautioned against disregard for security and diplomatic dimensions of their duties at the various entry and exit points.
Earlier, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Kumasi collection, expressed concern about the influx of uncustomed vehicles into the metropolis and said accommodation was a big problem to the service and urged management to help solve the problem with urgency.
Concerns raised by the personnel at the durbar included threats from certain powerful figures in the performance of their duty and lack of logistics.