Police commanders urged to deal with troublemakers
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, has directed police commanders to arrest and prosecute any group or individuals whose actions are likely to breach the public peace.
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He said if the police commanders failed to discharge those responsibilities, they would rather be sanctioned.
“If there are hooligans and vigilante groups that are disturbing the peace, the police must arrest them or we sanction the commanders in these areas,” he said.
Addressing a durbar of police personnel in Cape Coast on Tuesday, as part of his tour of some security facilities in the Central Region, the minister said: “You must arrest those who breach the law, regardless of one’s colour or creed.”
The current rise of pro-government party vigilantism in the country has been condemned by many Ghanaians, with the Chairman of the National Peace Council, Professor Emmanuel Asante, doubting the safety of Ghanaians under the current conditions.
To this end the minister said the police must be bold in performing their constitutional duty, without fear of being intimidated, adding, “My outfit will not countenance any excuse for not performing your professional duties.”
He added that as the country was positioning itself to implement policies that would benefit the people, and also attract investors, what the government needed currently was peace but not any form of hooliganism.
Galamsey/ land guard
Mr Dery indicated that arrangements were in place for the President to launch a massive campaign against the menace of land guards and illegal mining (galamsey)
He said the ministry had begun an insurance cover, on a pilot basis, for police personnel, adding that if successful, the policy would be rolled out for other security services in the country.
Mr Dery expressed grave concern about chieftaincy disputes in the country and urged the police not to meddle in any of such disputes but must always protect peace and tranquillity, adding that “we will not allow those who discredit the police uniform to continue with their act.”
The minister lauded the National Peace Council for ensuring peace in the country at all times, stressing that “the country needs peace currently to achieve its developmental agenda.”
Attack on police
Mr Dery used the occasion to appeal to the public to desist from unwarranted attacks on the police and other security installations, saying “the police are for our good, so if we attack them, we attack ourselves.”
He commended the Central Regional Police Command for the measures adopted to check criminal activities in the region, particularly, in the areas of robbery, illegal mining, human trafficking, criminal abortion and drug use.
The Central Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Rev David Ampah Bennin, announced that an operation code-named: “Hit Hard” had considerably helped to reduce robbery in the region.
He said an exercise carried out by the police from the first to the third quarter of this year had led to the arrest of notorious criminals, including robbers and drug peddlers, who had been terrorising the people and robbing them of their valuables.
“Because of intensified patrols, due to intelligence gathering, the trend has been reversed. Currently, 30 robbers have been arrested from January to September from various locations within the region,” he said.