Residents of Nkurakan in the Eastern Region are calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to reassign new police personnel to replace the current crops of officers stationed at the local police station to avert the increasing spate of crime in the community.
The aggrieved residents and opinion leaders say the Eastern Regional Police Commander and the Regional Minister must take immediate steps to ensure that the officers who have spent “several years” in the community are transferred and new ones posted to take over operational duties in the area.
Their calls come in the wake of rising incidents of crime in Nkurakan which they have blamed on the laid-back attitude of the longstanding personnel.
Most of the police there, the residents say, had been operating at the Nkurakan police station for between fifteen and seventeen years with very little being done to avert incidents of shop break-ins, stealing of motorbikes, and attacks on mobile money vendors.
“Theft cases on us the mobile money vendors are on the rise. Even if you arrest a suspect and send them to the police station, the police act lackadaisically and don’t pursue the case and in the end, you lose your money so we want new faces,” said a mobile money operator who added that the situation was forcing them to close earlier than usual.
Another resident also narrated to GhanaWeb how he was frustrated to give up on a theft case he had reported to the police when one of the officers questioned if he had money to give to the police to pursue the case.
Describing the output of the personnel as not encouraging, some of the concerned residents in an interview, said the increasing cases of stealing and robberies and the failure of the police to apprehend the suspects were worrying.
According to them, they were under siege by the robbers who attacked them “day and night”, leaving them in a constant state of fear.
The people who say they feel unsafe added that they feel insecure even in their homes, fearing that criminals could attack them anytime.
“Even when you are in your room, you're afraid someone will come and attack you,” a resident said.
They averred that some criminals take advantage of the situation to steal valuable properties of innocent persons in the community. They cited theft cases and other acts of violence perpetrated by unknown persons which they believed the police officers in the community could have dealt with ease.
The situation, they lamented has left them spending several sleepless nights.
Assemblymember for the Nkurakan Electoral Area, Thomas Aferdi Amponsah, said the situation is adversely affecting the security of the Nkurakan community.
“What is going on is very bad,” he observed. “We want new faces. The police officers at Nkurakan can't protect the people,” said the Assemblyman.
The Nkurakan Police Station