Death trap: Nsawam Police Station in tatters

The building serving as the Nsawam District Police Station in the Eastern region needs urgent repairs as it has become a death trap, posing safety hazard to police personnel, persons on detention as well as members of the public who access the facility for one or another form of service, Today can report.

Part of the building which was constructed during the colonial era is on the verge of collapse and could give way anytime soon unless steps are taken to fix the one storey structure, parts of which are made of wooden members.

A recent visit by Today to the facility which also serves as a place of residence for junior police personnel revealed the worn out roofing which leaks badly each time it rains.

The situation exposes both detainees and police personnel as well as their family members at the mercy of the weather.

Aside from the worn out roofing, the finishing and fittings were also in deplorable state with the wooden floor members rotting away.

According to some police men who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, living and working at the station poses risk to their lives.

They lamented the sorry state of the building which, according to them, needs urgent renovation.

They averred that most police personnel were not happy, living in a dilapidated structure but had to contend with the situation due to the lack of place to accommodate them.

They disclosed that although the authorities were aware about their plight, nothing has been done to fix the situation.

Speaking to Today, District Police Commander, Superintendent Magnus Sam, revealed that the police station was in the same condition before he took over from his predecessor few months ago.

He said the Ghana Police Service had shouldered the responsibility of renovating the station which is half way done.

The remaining half of the building, Today gathered, was left undone.

And even though the state of the building was nothing to write home about, some people told this paper “it is far better than how it was few months ago.”

Today noted that part of the police station which also serves as police barracks was half painted whiles the yard of the compound had been taken over by broken and accident vehicles which compete with police personnel for space.

Electrical cables were also seen hanging dangerously in the corridor leading to some of the rooms accommodating the police men posing danger to police personnel at the station, their families and visitors.

Due to congestion within the yard some of the accident vehicles were parked at the back of the police station impeding traffic on the link roads around the police station.