31st December Movement sack policemen

Berekum (B/A), May 30, GNA - Two officers of the Police Criminal Investigations Department were last Friday ordered out of a function by the Brong Ahafo Region branch of the 31st December Women Movement as it celebrated its silver jubilee at Berekum.

The officers had been detailed by the District Police command to provide security for the celebration at the residence of Mr. J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture in the NDC regime. The movement was apparently peeved for allegedly being denied security coverage by the district police command for an intended route march through the principal streets as part of the anniversary. It was also alleged that the District Chief Executive did not allow the movement to hold the programme at the Centre for National Culture.

Members of the NGO subsequently ordered the two officers to be "off the scene" just as they took their seats at the function to which they obliged and quietly left.

Mr. Andrew Agya Henneh, Berekum constituency organizer of the NDC, told the GNA that "some discrepancies that heralded the function necessitated the members' action".

He said members of the Movement became more furious "when the two policemen entered, greeted no one and took their seats".

Mr. Henneh wondered why the police had said they could not provide adequate security coverage for a street procession under the pretext of acute shortage of personnel. The constituency organizer said the Move ment had applied for the police security a week before the event.

The district police commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police G.K. Amoako, told the GNA in an interview that the police had advised the organizers to confine the celebration to one place since the police could not provide adequate security for the street procession. He said the measure was to avoid the breach of the peace in the town, adding, that the command had already deployed 15 out of the 25 personnel to Goaso, with a few also guarding the Omanhene's palace at Berekum.

Nana Adoma, Nsaporhemaa, represented Nana Ameyaa Hemaa, queenmother of Berekum, as the chairperson for the function whilst Nana Kwaja Samuel, Berekum District HIV/AIDS Focal person, represented the District Chief Executive, Mr. Kwabena Kyere Yeboah. In a keynote address, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, a former DCE for Sunyani, advised the women to be wary of the deadly HIV/AIDS, since they were more vulnerable to the pandemic. 30 May 07