Top police officer says involvement of security personnel in crime worrying

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Augustine Gyenning, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, has described as disturbing the growing involvement of unscrupulous security personnel in robbery and other criminal activities.

He said the police would do everything to purge the security services of such deviant, evil and wicked persons.

DCOP Gyenning said it was difficult to rationalize why trained servicemen should team up with criminals to rob and make life miserable for the very people they were supposed to protect.

The police for some time now, had to deal with robbery incidents involving officers of the security services and the Regional Commander’s discomfort comes in the wake of the arrest of two prison officers, stationed at the Amanfrom Prison Camp, in a botched robbery operation.

He told a press briefing in Kumasi that Lance Corporal Quaye, 27, and Second Class Officer Adu Mensah, 26, were nabbed together with two civilian accomplices, Farouk Abubakr and Thomas Wiafe, who posed as soldiers and carried with them fake military identification cards.

The police recovered from the suspects five bayonets, fake military uniforms and GH¢290.

DCOP Gyenning said they had received information on Monday that some security officers were terrorizing people, especially small-scale gold miners in the Amansie area.

They therefore quickly mobilized and dispatched men to the area to provide security for the people.

Before the policemen could reach the place, the local people had gathered courage and arrested the suspects, who claimed they had been sent by their superiors to check illegal mining in the area.

DCOP Gyenning said three of the suspects alleged that they were recruited by Second Class Officer Adu to rob the people.

They had been placed in custody and investigations are continuing.

Source: GNA