Assembly expresses concern about spate of armed robbery

Suhum (E/R), July 19, GNA - Members of the Suhum/Kroboa/Coaltar District Assembly has expressed concern about the recent high rate of armed robbery in the district.

They also expressed concern about the granting of bail to the armed robbers by the courts and called on the police and the District Security Council to ensure peace in the district.

The concerns were raised by members of the assembly at it's sitting at Suhum on Monday.

According to the members, for the past three months, armed robbers had invaded the Suhum township and surrounding areas and also on the Accra-Suhum-Kumasi high way to rob the people and passengers. They noted that the vigilance and sleepless nights by members of the watchdog committees had led to the arrest of some of the robbers. However, the assembly members regretted that after such efforts by the members of the community to have the suspected armed robbers arrested, the courts have granted them bail and some of them had returned to the community to commit the same offence and harassing residents.

Mr Seth Aboagye, the District Information Officer told the Assembly how armed robbers recently attacked the people of Omenako, near Suhum and robbed them of their personal effects and money, running into million of cedis, adding that, despite several announcement by some of the FM stations, no arrests had been made.

Mrs Margaret Darko, an Assemblywoman also told the Assembly how armed robbers attacked passengers travelling from Kumasi to Accra on the high way and robbed them at Suhum, depriving them of their goods and money but no arrests had been made.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, who also expressed concern about the situation, said within two weeks, four serious cases of armed robbery have been reported at Suhum on the Kumasi highway in the night and that the police had been informed.

The District Police Commander, Superintendent S. E Addai, confirmed the reports to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the police were doing everything possible to combat the armed robbery in the district and that the police had increased the patrol teams.

He, however, blamed some of the people, who know the hideouts of the armed robbers and failed to inform the police, yet blamed the police for inaction.