The Upper East Regional Police Command says it will soon intensify police patrols and surveillance around the Tilli forest on the Bolgatanga-Bawku road to clamp down on armed robbery activities.
The move comes after 31-year-old Ishmael Pumi Bashiru, a musician and a nurse working at Zebilla in the Bawku West district, was attacked and killed by armed robbers at the Tilli forest during the Eid Celebration on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
The police described the robbery incident as unfortunate, but assured that more men will be deployed to the area to curtail criminal activities along the Bolga-Bawku road.
Speaking to the Upper East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Fianko-Okyere, stated that the Police will increase patrols within the region to prevent further attacks.
He also called on residents to volunteer information of suspicious activities, individuals, or groups of people in their communities.
“We have to increase the number of patrols; both vehicle and motorbike. We are also going to ensure that we have adequate snap checkpoints where the police will do ‘stop-and-search’. At every ideal location or interval, we will put such snap checks in place to deter these criminals. We are also asking people living around those communities to share information with the police. We have always insisted that crime-fighting these days is a shared responsibility. These people come out from the adjoining communities to the road and perpetrate such crimes to the people. So if they spot or suspect the movement of an individual or group in their community, they should alert the police.”
He added that the authorities will be meeting to map up ways to keep residents of the Upper East Region safe.
“The Regional Commander is meeting all SPOs this afternoon so that we iron out the issue and see how we can have a fairly solid protection for the people in the Upper East region, especially on our highways.”
