New W/R Police Chief interacts with media

DCOP Kwasi Mensah Duku, new Western Regional Police Commander, has appealed to the House of Chiefs and the courts to expedite action on some of the chieftaincy issues before them. This he said would avoid any unneccessary conflicts.

During his maiden interaction with the media on Friday March 10, 2017 at the Regional Police Headquaters in Sekondi, DCOP Duku advised all interested parties in any chieftacny dispute in the Western Region, to use the court to have their way; this according to him is the due process.

“Any untoward approach to achieve their aim will not be tolerated”; he said. He further noted that chieftancy disputes continue to be a worry, citing the Sefwi Bekwai Traditional area and others across the region.

Galamsey Destroying the Environment

The regional police boss also expressed concern about the operations of illegal miners (galamsey) which he said had been on the increase in the Western Region and the nation at large.

“Their activities have caused considerable damage to the environment as well as polluting the water bodies in the region”.

“Though, there have been warnings, crackdowns and joint police and military operations to clamp down on the activities of these illegal miners, whose activities gradually degrade the environment, the menace still persist”.

DCOP Duku said the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) would continue to organize operations to flush out the galamsey operations from the areas where they are operating.

Security Situation

He told the media the Western Region is relatively calm with few cases of robbery occurring in the galamsey areas.

“Consequently, operational men from SWAT and RDF/Takoradi are on the grounds within Wassa Akropong and Sefwi Bekwai areas to provide security and make the area peaceful to enable residents go about their business freely”.

Police Cooperation with the Media

DCOP Duku noted that the mandate of the Ghana Police Servive cannot be accomplished without the support of a vibrant media.

“The media serve as an interface between the police and the large audience. We share information and intelligence gathering, therefore, I crave your indulgence and support in all endeavors to ensure that the region comes as one of the most peaceful in the country”.

The Western Regional police chief solicited constructive criticism from the media. “Occasionally, there may be some infractions as humans; we to disagree and agree and that, does not mean that we are enemies”. He further urged the media not to hesitate to consult the police rather than putting wrong information in the public.

Appeal to the General Public

DCOP Kwasi Mensah Duku who took over from DCOP Akuribah Yaagy as the Western Regional police chief also took the opportunity to appeal to the general public to feed the police with credible and relevant information on criminals to enable the command act decisively. This he said would improve the relative peace being enjoyed. He hoped all in the Western Region would be law abiding and work together to improve on the level of security in the region.

 

By: Joe Bright Nyarko