The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih has called on the people of Upper West Region to be more nationalistic and vigilante by reporting all criminals they are harboring or shielding in their communities, to the appropriate security agencies to bring them to book. He also cautioned the security personnel to be disciplined and professional whenever such miscreants in society are reported to them; that is, by shielding the identities of the informants.
“When the identities of such informants are exposed to the criminals, their lives will be put in serious danger. I wish to further state that, for the fear of informant’s identity being revealed, people who know the criminals among us do shy away from giving information to the Police and other security agencies”, he noted.
He reiterated that, without adequate and reliable information, it will be very difficult in fighting crime such as: armed robbery, tribal and chieftaincy conflicts, political vigilantism, terrorism, among others in the region.
The Minister made the call whiles addressing the Regional Coordinating Council Meeting on 14th May, 2019 in Wa.
Dr. Bin Salih indicated that, the Government is aware of the inadequate security personnel and logistical constraints in the country and has embarked on the recruitment of more security personnel in all the sectors. He said, the Ghana Police Service has also been equipped with vehicles and other logistics to carryout highways patrols throughout the country; and the establishment of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, have helped reduce the armed robbery and other criminal cases, of late.
Apart from the general security issues confronting the nation, the Minister used the opportunity to appeal to the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs to use their institution to resolve all pending chieftaincy disputes in the region. He acknowledged the important role that the chieftaincy institution plays in the development of the nation. As such, the smooth succession to thrones, if well codified will help eliminate or reduce the spate of disputes that threaten the peace of the region. He entreated the representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs to take the matter for serious consideration at their next meeting.