Collaborate to bring peace to Bawku - Avoka

Bolgatanga, Sept. 7, GNA - Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister of The Interior on Monday urged security personnel in the Upper East Region to collaborate and work closely together to bring peace to Bawku and minimize crime in the area.

He said the country was successfully fighting the drug menace, armed robbery and other social vices and the recurrent conflicts in Bawku could not be allowed to draw back the progress made at improving security and enhancing development. "We cannot continue to have a lawless place in the country. It is spoiling the image of the North and can sometimes be embarrassing, apart from retarding progress", he said.

Mr Avoka is on duty tour to the Region. He is visiting departments and agencies under the Ministry to interact with the staff to see at first hand how they worked and the conditions under which they served the nation.

At a meeting with the security personnel in Bolgatanga he asked them not to spare any criminal but to arrest all those fuelling the violence and directed that such criminals should not be granted bail, adding that those found guilty by the court should be dealt with drastically.

He said every community had disputes but the people needed to learn to be tolerant and to use the law to settle disputes.

Mr Avoka said the Government was very much disappointed at the recent violence in Bawku, especially so, as the place had enjoyed peace for some time and it was hoped that it could be maintained.

He advised the Officers to find innovative ways of dealing with the security challenges they faced in the Region and said promotion would depend on one's output at work and not the number of years of service. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bright Oduro, Regional Police Commander, stated that strategic measures had been put in place to ensure security in the Region. They included placing security Personnel at all vital installations in the Region; day and night town patrols; intensified highway patrols and encouraging the people to partner the Police to maintain the peace and order.

He said the recurrent violence in Bawku has created a dent in the image of the professional capabilities of the security personnel saying: "We will do our best to bring the perpetrators of the violence to book. Bawku has to be stabilized at all cost. The recent violence clearly presents a challenge."

Regional Police Commander said Bawku had to be given special attention to enable the security personnel to maintain peace and appealed for motorbikes; pickup vehicles; an increase in the allowance of the personnel to motivate them; good quality tents; bullet proof vests and street lights in the Bawku Township.

He appealed to Mr Avoka for a Police barracks, saying it was only the Upper East Region that did not have a decent Police barracks, adding that out of the 703 personnel in the Region only 202 were staying in the barracks. Some had to share rented accommodation while 143 had no places to stay.

A three-day workshop on conflict prevention organized for the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee of Bawku to enhance their capacity in peace building so that they would in turn reach out to the people, which Mr Avoka was scheduled to address, was postponed because some of the participants said they were mourning their relatives, who were killed during the Sunday's skirmishes.

Violent conflict erupted in Bawku on Sunday when armed robbers killed a cabbie, who refused to stop when they asked him to do so, and his relatives took up arms to avenge him. Four others were subsequently killed. Security has been beefed up in Bawku and the town remained calm on Monday.