Pack and leave my area or I will come after you - Police Commander warns criminals

The Kasena- Nankana Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Ebenezer Benson, has in strong words warned criminals who have made up their minds to terrorise residents in the area this yuletide season, to stay away from his jurisdiction or face the wrath of his armed men.

The commander, who is alarmed by the spate of crimes in the area yearly, especially during the Christmas and New Year periods, has in an interview stated that there will be no “breathing space” for criminals and their actives in his area of command.

Addressing the media after an operation that saw a massive crackdown of unregistered motorcycles in the area, Superintendent Benson said the police are ready to ensure a crime-free holiday season for residents of the Municipality and its environs.

He said criminals in the area take advantage of the Christmas season of abundance to rob people of their valuables and has vowed to smoke them out wherever they hide.

Commander Benson said the only way criminals could escape his arrest is for them not to commit crimes or, on a safer side, relocate from Navrongo.

“And let me add this that, this is not the end. There are a lot of operations that we are going to carry out. So they should expect more from the Police. We won’t tell them our strategies. But all criminals should prepare, we are going to fight all crime”.

“So criminals, who have moved from other areas and have come to Navrongo, should make their mind and pack their things today and leave Navrongo. We are not going to give them a breathing space. We are going to fight them all the way out”

He said the Police have observed that criminals rely on unregistered motorcycles to carry various forms of crimes, especially during Christmas, making it difficult for police to pick intelligence that can lead to the arrest of perpetrators.

In line with that and to embellish the efforts of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to ensure that all vehicles and motorcycles on our roads are roadworthy, the Police in close collaboration with the DVLA on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 embarked on an operation and arrested 82 motorbikes and Nine Motor Tricycles.

The riders were arrested for various offences including riding unregistered motorbikes with no number plates, riding without crash helmets and lack of roadworthy stickers and insurance. Other offences were riding motors which have no duty papers and breaching of road regulations. The offenders have since been granted bail and have been processed for court.

Earlier, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) held a meeting with stakeholders in the Municipality to discuss measures to strengthen the body.

At the engagement, the Upper East Regional Manager of the authority, Mutawakil Abdulai, among other things said bottlenecks which have suffocated the DVLA when one is applying for the smart driver’s license card are been worked on to reduce the time spent and stress that comes with acquiring the smart card from the authority.

He appealed for public cooperation in their dealings and said every challenge at the authority will be soon addressed.

Mr. Abdulai urged the public to be diligent and committed to the renewal of their roadworthy stickers and insurance so as to help them operate effectively since the body depends on some percentage of funds from that to run.