Fuel stations must be alert

Accra Oct. 7, GNA - The Police on Thursday advised fuel station operators to put in adequate security measures to control the spate of attacks by armed robbers on them.

Addressing operators within Kpeshie Sub-Metropolitan Area, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Jordan Quaye asked them to refrain from sending security officers on duty at the stations on errands. "Security measures at most stations is not the best saying most attendants are not security conscious," he said.

The meeting was to afford ASP Nyamekye Adane-Ameyaw, the new La District Police Commander an opportunity to interact and find solutions to problems facing the operators.

Mr Quaye, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, entreated the operators to change architectural designs to metals and fix scanners to monitor activities of persons, who might invade their premises.

He said the scanners when installed could assist the Police to identify and apprehend their attackers.

Mr Quaye said security was expensive but encouraged the operators to spend money to procure security gadgets that could foil attacks by armed robbers and protect their investments.

He noted that most of the operators were not enforcing preventive notices such as "No smoking," "Switch off your engines and mobile phones" because of the fear of losing customers. Mr Quaye said most of the armed robbers had devised new and more strategies to attack their victims.

He cautioned operators not to call on radio stations when in distress but inform the Police for assistance. Mr Quaye explained that robberies announced on the radio offered the robbers an opportunity to abandon vehicles used in their operations and to escape Police arrest.

He suggested that operators should seek the services of bullion vans from the banks to assist them convey their sales to the bank and that they investigate the background of their employees or employ people with security background.

He said the Police had records on retired Police detectives, who could be employed to man their stations when they contacted the Police Administration.

Mr Adane-Ameyaw stressed the need for information flow between the Police and the public and urged them to be vigilant in their operations. He warned the operators to be watchful about users of unregistered motorbikes that come to their stations.