Migrants commit 70% of crime in Ellembelle - DSP Thomas Bayor

About(70%) of people involved in crime activities in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region are usually migrants, according to the District Police Commander, Deputy Supritendent of Police (DSP) Thomas Bayor.

He explained that these migrants coming from other parts of the country have relocated to Ellembelle due to booming socio-economic activities orchestrated by exploitation of the extrative potential in the District.

These include mining of mineral resources, the development of processing plants, gas infrastructure and other vital platforms for the country's oil and gas industry among other considerations.

According to the police chief, common crimes been committed in the District include robbery, petty stealing, multiple sale of land causing litigation, and non compliant of traffic regulations governing the transport industry.

Briefing the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle Constituency, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah on crime management in the District on Monday 11th February 2019, he said motor riders flouting regulations have had it tough dealing with the police command due to grand effort made to tame the bad behaviour of recalcitrant riders causing accidents.

In the same transport sector, he said armed robbers, and those engaged in motor theft have developed the culture of stealing motorbikes from one community and selling them to unsuspecting victims in other communites where the patronage obviously does not require any suspicion.

For instance, he said thieves stealing motorbikes from Elubo in the Jomoro Municipality, usually come all the way to Essiama or Aiyinasi in Ellembelle District to sell them to unsuspecting victims.

On the other hand, he said thieves stealing from Anyinase, Essia, and its surrounding communities in Ellembelle District, often take the motorbikes to Elubo, the border town near Ivory coast and other hinterlands in Jomoro Municipality to sell them to people.

Commander Bayor said following this discovery, the police command has been monitoring the sale of motorbikes in the District with very keen interest.

He said they are also monitoring the compliant rate of regulations governing the transport sector in the District.

He noted that following an enforcement programme applied to whip motor riders along the path of compliance for them to follow due process, in addition to constant education, the rate of accidents in the district has reduced drasticlly.

He however bemoaned the non cooperation of natives in the district to assist the police in combating crime in Ellembelle which currently houses most of the important installations of the country's oil and gas industry.

These important installations include the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) gas processing plant, Quantum gas, producers of LPG gas, ENI gas, the Italian company operating offshore with its gas transportation platform installed, the national gas infrastructure connected to pipelines and the offshore platfom of oil rigs among others.

The Police Chief explained that aside the aforementioned crimes being dealt with, chiefs in the district have also resorted to multiple sale of land, therefore causing land disputes, confusion resulting in litigations.

He said the practice, which has become a growing phenomenon, has landed many innocent people into unnecessary litigations that could have been avoided by the chiefs if the right things were done in selling land properly to people without knocking their heads with same land in the first place.

DSP Bayor distanced politics from the crimes been recorded in the district. Whether intra or inter party affairs, he ruled out any political disturbances in the district whilst commending the political leadership for sustaining peace and tranquility with the highest tolerance level in their democratic discourse and activism.