A security consultant, Richard Kumadoe, has criticised the disqualification of some youth who applied to be recruited into the security agencies based on ‘body sizes’ and piercing.
Speaking on Angel FM’ Anopa Bofoↄ morning show on Thursday, October 27, 2021, he said it is not a criterium in the recruitment process.
He argued that every body size plays a unique role in the security service. In his submissions, he recounted that while he was with the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), his colleagues with huge bodies were not allowed certain tasks when they went on intelligence operations.
He noted that under those circumstances people with slender bodies were used to, for instance, enter compounds and open gates for the squad to invade and make arrests.
“There are different roles different bodies play. We want fair ladies, dark ladies, slim and huge, slay queens, size 0, 10. All manner of people are welcome there and you cannot determine them by just looking at their physical bodies and say ‘they are disqualified’,” he said.
His comments come on the back of reports indicating security agencies including the Ghana Immigration Service and the National Fire Service and Police Service disqualify applicants on the basis of size, height, stretch marks, double piercing, flat foot among others.
Reacting to the issue of double piercing, he said those people could be given the go-ahead, yet directed to seal one of the holes if they meet the criteria for selection and are women.
Explaining his stance, the security expert noted that the agencies also need such piercings because, at certain points in their operations like investigations, the security would need to pretend as a prostitute to get the work done.
“Sometimes we need Ashiawaga [persons posing as sex workers] to do movements within the security agencies,” he said adding “we can look at them one by one. I have a problem with people wearing long beards…people will say ‘ok trim it down or don’t wear beard at all as a standard procedure’, we can understand that,” he noted.
Meanwhile, he has described the whole process employed by the security agencies as “archaic”. He mentioned medical examination and background checks on the applicants as criteria for the selection.
Mr. Kumadoe called for the state to “streamline the process, let the applicant be aware and look for standardisation” to make things much easier for the youth.
