Rise in road accident fatalities in B/A Region
Two hundred and ninety-five people lost their lives through road crashes in the Brong Ahafo Region in 2016 as against 233 in 2015.
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The number of road crashes, however, decreased from 645 to 597. The number of injured persons also decreased from 868 to 844 over the same period.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwame Techie-Poku, who disclosed this, said the 2016 figure was an increase of 26.6 per cent of deaths that occurred through road accidents in 2015.
He was speaking at the West Africa Security Service Association (WASSA) celebration organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Command in Sunyani last Friday.
The occasion also provided the security officers with the opportunity to take stock of their past performance, reflect on their achievements over the previous year, especially in crime combat, and also identify setbacks and work towards their improvement.
Crime situation
Reported criminal cases in the region in 2016 decreased from the 2015 figure of 8,065 to 7,341. Murder cases however increased from 46 to 52 over the same period with rape and narcotic cases also increasing from 21 to 35 and 62 to 88 respectively.
DCOP Techie-Poku explained that the Ejura-Yeji, Techiman-Kintampo, Tamale-Atebubu, Kwame Danso-Kajeji highways which had gained notoriety in robbery cases saw a decrease from 17 cases in 2015 to 13 in 2015.
“It is heartwarming that the trend is likely to show further reduction in 2017, considering additional measures put in place by the command,” he said and explained that the anti-robbery operation at Atebubu had been enhanced with increase in personnel and additional vehicles.
DCOP Techie-Poku also stated that intensified vehicular patrols and snap checks, visibility patrols on the street of Sunyani and other major towns across the region and intelligence-led swoops contributed to the reduction of crimes over the period.
Discipline
On indiscipline among police personnel in the region, the commander revealed that 20 personnel fell foul of service regulations in 2016 for which the command instituted service inquiries against them.
DCOP Techie-Poku indicated that, the command would insist on strict enforcement of discipline in all forms and would not tolerate any officer whose activities tended to undermine discipline.
Commendation
For his part, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, commended the regional command for exhibiting professionalism that ensured a peaceful general election in December 2016.
“The yeoman’s role you have played in crime combat in the region deserves commendation,” he added.
The minister identified galamsey and illegal timber operations as the main problems facing the region and asked all security officers to join the fight against such social cankers.