An Assembly Member leading a community campaign against drug dealers in the Tanzui Electoral Area has raised concerns about inconsistent police support, though he acknowledged officers face challenges in mounting effective operations.
Michael Ayinne told Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show that the crime officer has given varying responses to his repeated requests for assistance in combating drug trafficking in the communities of Waribisi, Zorbisi, Socabisi and Tanzui.
“When I spoke to the police, and I always speak and refer to the crime officer, he tells me, yes, they are ready and he will be putting his men together,” Ayinne said. “Another time he tells me that, oh, yes, this fight, we need to flush them away at once. And flushing them away needs proper preparation.”
Mr. Ayinne said the crime officer can confirm that he has visited the police office “on several occasions” to report drug activities. At one point, police responded and conducted an operation, but dealers returned after the intervention.
“The other day I called him and it is a different information altogether,” Mr. Ayinne said of the varying responses. “So you can’t say no because the reasons he gives are reasonable too.”
The Assembly Member said police concerns about conducting raids that produce only temporary results are valid. Officers worry that without proper preparation, dealers simply return the next day, making the operation pointless.
During last week’s community operation, Mr. Ayinne said he called the crime officer when the group encountered resistance from heavily guarded dealers, but police did not respond. The officer later explained it was Sunday and he was unsure if his men would be available.
“He told me that today is Sunday and he’s not sure as to whether his men will be ready. So what we’ll do is that he’ll call through and get back to me,” Mr. Ayinne recounted. “But the time and then we were spending there and the kind of language that was coming up,” he decided to have volunteers retreat for safety.
Before conducting the community sweep, Mr. Ayinne said he informed the crime officer about the planned operation and emphasized that any suspects apprehended with drugs would be turned over to police.
The Assembly Member defended the community’s decision to act despite inconsistent police support, noting that civilian arrests are constitutionally protected.
“It is lawful that we do civilian arrests. I mean, it’s guaranteed, and it’s protected under the constitution,” he said.
Mr. Ayinne said the community felt compelled to act because “the situation was eating them so much that we needed to sit up and then to take an action,” even as police prepared for a more comprehensive operation.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Bolgatanga
