Police Commander speaks against massive cultivation of wee in BA

Sunyani (B/A) March 12, GNA - Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Seth Charles Oteng, Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, on Thursday expressed worry about the massive cultivation and smoking of Indian Hemp in the region.

This, he noted has been a major contributory factor to the upsurge of cases of armed robbery and other crimes in the region. DCOP Oteng expressed the concern when Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye, Inspector General of Police (IGP) paid a working visit to the region. He said cultivation, usage and trafficking of Indian hemp were prevalent at Nsawkaw, Badu, Banda-Ahenkro and Seikwa in the Tain District.

DCOP Quaye reminded the public that Indian hemp is a psychotropic substance prohibited by the Narcotic Drug Control enforcement and sanctions, Act.

He said police had intensified its patrol and would make all efforts to clamp down on wee peddlers and farmers in the region. DCOP Oteng said this year his outfit had recorded 12 cases of murder, five armed robberies, five cases of rape, 25 defilement and six cases of possession of narcotics. He said as part of measures adopted to reduce highway robberies, the highway patrol teams continued to patrol the Techiman-Kintampo highway in the night whilst buses under the Ghana Private Road Transport Union and State transport as well as market women who travelled from Sunyani to Yeji were provided with armed police escorts.

The Regional Police Commander said lack of vehicles and accommodation for the police personnel were some of the problems confronting the service and appealed to the IGP to intervene to reverse the situation.

DCOP Oteng said the activities of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle, were causing havoc to communities such as Atebubu, Wenchi, Nkoranza, Yeji and Kintampo. He said this year, a farmer was shot dead by a Fulani herdsman at Akora in Atebubu/Amantin District whilst another farmer was shot and wounded by another herdsman when he prevented his cattle from grazing on his farm.

Mr. Quaye said government had adopted pragmatic steps to address the numerous challenges that faced the police administration. In the area of accommodation, he said government had approved a budget for the completion of a total of 38 abandoned projects this year.

The IGP said the service would also benefit substantially from the 200,000 housing units to be constructed by a Korean company. Mr. Quaye advised the police personnel to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the course of their duties to help restore the image of the service.