Armed Robbery On the Rise in Eastern Region

EASTERN REGION recorded 25 armed robbery cases in the first quarter this year as against nine in the first quarter of last year.

The shoot up in armed robbery cases this time has been attributed to lack of logistics such as operation vehicles, communication gadgets and combat materials.

This was disclosed by the Eastern Regional Police Commander, Mr. Salwyn B. Mettle at a meeting with executives of the various transport unions at Koforidua on April 17, last week.

The meeting was organised for the police commander to brief the unions on the state of armed robbery in the Eastern Region since, according to sources, most of the operations are done through their drivers and the need to put them on the alert.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) cautioned the station masters to be wary of passengers who board their vehicles.

"If someone boards your vehicle and you suspect the one to be an armed robber or a criminal, you should call the police for the necessary action," he charged them.

The regional commander assured the transport unions that the identity of informants will not be disclosed.

He warned that anybody including police officers who will disclose informant's identity will be dealt with drastically.

The DCOP urged the transport unions to form watchdog committees at their various lorry parks to augment the police efforts in clamping down on criminals in the region.

The union executives were asked to advice their drivers to put a stop to drinking and using of hard drugs to prevent most of the unnecessary accidents on our roads.

The transport unions in turn pledged to support the Police Service in combating crime in the region.