Following the brutal confrontation between residents at Donkorkrom in the Afram Plains North district in the Eastern Region and police officers in the area over alleged police involvement in a robbery attack on a GCB Bank bullion van which resulted in the murder of the driver of the van, wives of cops in the area say they fear they could be targeted and killed.

The police shot into a crowd of angry residents of the area when they attempted to attack them. The rowdy crowd succeeded in setting the police station on fire. The skirmishes that ensued resulted in 17 people sustaining gunshot wounds. The residents indicated they did not need the presence of the police in the community since they allegedly conspire with criminals to engage in vicious activities.

When the Eastern regional minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong, visited the area on Friday August 19 to help restore calm, the wives of the police officers approached her to express their trepidation to her. One of the wives of the cops, Mabel Abubakari, said: “We can’t even go to the market any longer since the incident. They have planned to harm us and so we cannot even go about our normal duties. We want to leave this place because our lives are in danger.”

Another also said: “We are confused, our lives are in danger. We are appealing to the authorities to take us from this area.”

The Minister assured them of maximum security from the state, stating that at least 90 police officers had been deployed to the area to help restore calm and protect life and property. “The Regional Security Council has added additional 90 police officers to those already in the area to protect you. They are well-resourced with ammunition to protect you. You are not the only ones they will protect but the entire community. Relax and feel at home, no one will harm you. Continue supporting your husbands because you are protected,” she said.