The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, has been petitioned to remove DSP Oppong Agyare Francis as the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Police Commander, over what the petitioner describes as his “lackadaisical approach” to rising cases of robberies in the area.

There have been several reports of armed robbery cases within the municipal capital, Navrongo, and its environs, the most recent being the broad daylight robbery of a Mobile Money agent adjacent to the Navrongo police station.

In two weeks, over five incidents of robbery cases reportedly occurred, a situation which is said to have stirred fear and panic among residents, some of whom have vowed to protect themselves however possible.

A recent visit to the region by the IGP on the back of these insecurities did not make the situation any better.

The reaction of the municipal police commander to all of this in the view of the petitioner, one Mark Kubuga, smacks of incompetence and makes him “inapt for his current position”.

The petitioner makes specific reference to comments made by DSP Oppong Agyare Francis on March 4th, 2021 when he granted an interview to a local Radio Station, where is said to have blamed the youth of Navrongo for the increasing cases of robberies.

He is quoted as saying the cause of the robberies is that the youth of the area spend long hours in bushes with their girlfriends abandoning their motorbikes which get stolen.

“One thing our intelligence has gathered is that sometimes, some of the youth will leave their motorbikes in the open, enter a bush with their women doing what they want to do and at the end lose their sense and thieves will come for their motorbikes. Most of the motorbike snatching incidents are caused by this attitude by the youth. So, I’m appealing that if the youth stop this behavior, cases of motorbike snatching will decrease," he said.

This, the petitioner said does not only prove that the commander is not serious about his work but also insulting the youth of Navrongo. He wants the command to retract and render an unqualified apology.

The petitioner thus implores the IGP as the head of the Ghana Police Service clothed with operational and administrative control under of the service Article 202 (2) of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992, to intervene and remove DSP Oppong Agyare Francis. He believes that will make way for “crime detection and prevention”.

Meanwhile, the commander is expected to meet the Paramount Chief of Navrongo, Pɛ Denis Aneakwoa Balinia Adda, today on the way forward in fighting crime in the area.