Marine Police asked to be proactive

The Coastal Platform for Peace-building (COPP), a group made up of opinion leaders from the six coastal districts in the Western Region, at the weekend called on the Marine Unit of the Ghana Police Service to be proactive in checking illegal activities at sea.

At its fifth meeting in Takoradi, the COPP urged the Marine Unit to step up efforts to minimize criminal activities at sea by promptly investigating complaints brought to their attention.

The COPP meeting, which was organized under the auspices of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), a non-governmental organization, to identify security threats in the Oil and Gas industry, identified suicide, rape and child abandonment as emerging security threats in the region.

Mr. Joseph Ebambey, Chief Fisherman of Asanda and a member of the COPP said some fishermen still used aggravated light and small unapproved nets for fishing, saying such illegal activities were becoming rampant due to negligence on the part of the marine police.

He said these illegal activities were leading to the depletion of fish stock and added that if nothing was done about the situation, fishermen could not make a living from their trade and would have to be trained in alternative livelihoods in future.

The chief fisherman also urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out Fish Impact Assessment to ascertain the cause of deaths of whales and other fishes that were being washed ashore in some parts of the region.

Mr. Isaac Bayor, National Coordinator of WANEP, urged the COPP to be watch dogs in their various districts and identify security threats which should be reported for prompt action.

Source: GNA