Residents of Abeka "Free-Pipe" cry for police protection

Accra, July 3, GNA - Residents of Abeka "Free-Pipe", a suburb of the Abeka-Lapaz area in the Greater Accra Region have appealed to the security agencies, especially the Police Service to clamp down on the anti-social and life threatening behaviour among some section of the youth in the area.

The residents say their lives in the area are at risk as sections of the youth in the area indulge in hard drugs related business. They cited the surroundings of the Abeka Presbyterian Church and the Good News Bible Church, as areas where the thugs operate and harassed the public.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday, Mr. Emile Atta-Boakye an executive member of the residents association of the area said, "the section of the youth in the area indulge in the smoking of Indian hemp and have made the area a death trap for residents." He noted that one cannot safely use the area after 2000 hours without being attacked by thugs who smoked Indian hemp openly in the area.

He said the activities of some of the youth in the area have marked the community out as a dangerous and notorious crime prone zone in the metropolis.

Mr Atta-Boakye said, "as one of the victims who once fell into the hands of these youth when returning home from work, I appealed to the Ghana Police Service to provide the area adequate personnel to clamp down on the activities of these thugs to make the area a safer place." He called for the formation of Community Protection Unit (CPU) to help report such persons to the authorities so that the law would punish the culprits who were found dealing in drugs.

He appealed to the assembly members of the area to initiate measures to check such negative practices.

Mr Atta-Boakye further appealed to the youth who indulgeD in such practices to put a stop to them in their own interest and that of society.