The Upper East Regional Police Command says it has dismantled about seven armed robbery syndicates that operated across the region following sustained surveillance and intelligence-led operations.
The Regional Police Commander, DCOP John Ferguson Dzineku, said the operations had significantly improved the security situation in the region, which he described as having previously served as a “den for criminals” and a “training ground” for armed groups.
He made the disclosure in Bolgatanga during a Community-Law Enforcement Dialogue Forum organised under the European Union Security and Defence Initiative in support of West African Countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
According to DCOP Dzineku, the Police Service deployed specialised teams, intelligence, technology and other operational strategies to track and dismantle the criminal groups.
“Over the years, the Upper East Region has been the den for criminals. It was a training ground for most armed groups,” he said.
He explained that the region had suffered serious insecurity as a result of the spillover of conflicts, with armed gangs terrorising residents through repeated robbery attacks. He said some security personnel had also been killed by the criminals, with their weapons taken away.
“There was a need for a firm, decisive and robust intelligence-led operation to flush out these guys from the region,” DCOP Dzineku said.
He disclosed that surveillance on the suspected criminal groups began last year, allowing the police to gather intelligence and understand their operations before launching targeted interventions.
“Various operational methods and tactics were used. And as a result, about seven armed robbery syndicates have been disbanded,” he said.
The syndicates, according to the Regional Police Commander, operated across areas including Yagaba, Fumbisi, Navrongo, Bolgatanga, Pelungu, Tongo and Gbane. He said the operations also resulted in the recovery of several weapons and ammunition, including AK-47s, G3s, M16s, CZs and pistols.
DCOP Dzineku said the arrest of the suspects and retrieval of the weapons had contributed to an improvement in the security situation in the region.
“Since the retrieval of these weapons and arrest of these guys, the region has known a little bit of peace up to now,” he said.
To sustain the improvement, he said the Police Service had increased its visibility and deployed additional undercover agents alongside uniformed personnel across the region. The commander also linked some of the activities of armed groups to illicit drug use, saying the police had consequently intensified efforts to tackle the illegal drug trade.
“It has also been realised that most of these guys, armed groups, do what they do as a result of the use of illicit drugs,” he said.
He added that some suspected drug dealers had been arrested as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt the illicit drug trade. DCOP Dzineku, however, stressed that the police could not effectively combat crime without public cooperation and trust.
“It is said that policing is not done to the people, but is done with the people,” he said. “Without trust, information does not flow. And without information, we cannot fight crime.”
He described trust as a bridge between the police and the public, arguing that stronger public confidence in the police would lead to better information sharing and improved crime prevention.
The Regional Police Commander also commended the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Immigration Service for their cooperation with the Police Service, particularly in handing over suspects and weapons recovered during operations.
He expressed hope that the Community-Law Enforcement Dialogue Forum would further strengthen cooperation among security agencies, traditional authorities, community leaders and residents. He said sustained collaboration would be necessary to consolidate the security gains made and prevent the region from becoming a safe haven for armed criminal groups again.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah
