Newmont constructs 14-unit quarters for the police

A 14 unit transit quarters and an office building for the Police service and other security agencies in the Birim North District have been inaugurated at New Abirim.

The buildings were constructed by the Newmont Akyem Project as part of its social responsibility commitment for the people of the Birim North District.

Mr Felix Apoh, the External Affairs Manager of the Newmont Akyem Project, said the mining company has had a long standing relationship with the police service in the district.

He said the Newmont Akyem Project had supported the police with two vehicles and provided them with 60 liters of fuel a week to combat the crime wave in the area in addition to three desktop computers with their accessories to augment their performance.

Mr Apoh said in line with it’s social responsibility commitment to promote effective partnership for sustainable development some community project were initiated last year in collaboration with the district assembly.

He mentioned some of the projects to include a-three bedroom doctors bungalow and an eight unit nurses quarters for the New Abirim District Hospital, a mechanized borehole and the provision of an overhead polytank with a 20 meter cubic capacity which would be completed this year to provide portable water for the New Abirim township.

The outgoing Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Victor Smith said peace, safety, security and stability were prerequisite for development for all sectors of the nation.

He said for the past four years government had provided the police service with vehicles, mobile clinics , dialysis center and an automated finger print identification system while the Ghana National Fire Service had benefitted from 152 new fire fighting vehicles and equipment and also recruited 2000 personnel into the service.

Mr Smith said the Ghana Immigration Service also received a digital boarder surveillance system and introduced an e-immigration project and a fraud expertise center set up to enhance their performance.

He commended the district assembly for the establishment of a police station, a fire service station, district immigration office, an ambulance service and a district magistrate court and applauded Newmont Akyem Project for fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.

Mr James Abass Abaa, the Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, said police personnel have been posted to all parts of the country to maintain peace, law and order in the society. He appealed to the people not to use the police personnel to settle personal scores, collection of debts and for interference in chieftaincy disputes but cooperate with them to maintain peace and ensure development in the area.

He promised to post ten more police personnel to the New Abjrim Police Station, provided the community would provide them with residential accommodation.

In a welcome address, the District Chief Executive, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong said mining areas often faces a lot of challenges due to the large influx of people and would need the presence of the police and other security agencies to control the crime wave.

The Chief of New Abirim, Obrimpong Kwesi Amo Kyeretwie appealed for the reconstruction of roads in the area especially the Nkakaw –New Abirim-Kade road and the New Abirim-Akim Oda road which are in very deplorable conditions.