Youth attacks police team at Kotokrom

Sunyani, Feb. 16, GNA - An angry mob on Tuesday attacked a team of policemen detailed to restore law and order at Kotokrom, near Sunyani and vandalised their Nissan pick-up vehicle.

Nana Seinti, Regional Minister, recently donated the vehicle to the police to help fight highway robberies. Its windscreen was completely destroyed and had scratches on the body as well.

Briefing the press in Sunyani, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohammed N. A. Adams, explained that a commercial vehicle knocked down a nine-year-old girl in the middle of the road that runs through the town and this infuriated the inhabitants.

He said the youth erected unauthorized speed ramps on the road thereby obstructing traffic and a report was made to the police about this as vehicles plying that road were finding it difficult to pass through the town.

ACP Adams said he detailed the police to the area to maintain law and order, but when they reached there, the youth, who initially appeared to be co- operating suddenly started pelting the team with stones and in the process, caused damage to the vehicle. He added that another police team returning from an operation in Yendi was also not spared and the driver of their bus sensing danger got down from the bus and begged th em to spare the bus, which they obliged and allowed them to pass.

ACP Adams said he later went to the town and conferred with the acting chief of the town but the youth fled to the bush on seeing him. He later went to the Regional Hospital in Sunyani to see the injured girl but learnt that she had been treated and discharged. The police officer said he however, met a boy of three years, who sustained injuries as a result of the mob action but has been treated and discharged.

He appealed to the press to assist the police in fighting crime and not to antagonize the police and expressed regret about the spate of mob actions in the region and advised people to report any incident to the police rather than resorting to mob action, as the law would not spare them.