Correspondence from Eastern Region:

Some concerned individuals in Somanya in the Eastern Region have expressed concern over the lack of police patrol vehicles to facilitate efficient patrol activities in the area.

The situation is not only aggravating the tedious work of the police but also making it impossible to respond promptly to distress calls.

The lack of proper and adequate police vehicles for the Somanya Police Command not only affects their visibility in communities but could also possibly prevent them from responding to life-threatening incidents.

While the issue has been long-standing, it shows police management is failing at solving the matter, possibly hindering police efforts in fighting crime.

The effects surrounding the lack of a befitting patrol vehicle were addressed when armed robbers struck twice in twelve days on some fuel facilities and a mobile money vendor in the municipality.

The lack of logistics has been partly blamed on the police’s inability to effectively respond to criminal activities.

Four robbers including a female on the evening of Monday, October 23, 2023, launched a daredevil robbery act on the Gaso Filling station and a mobile money vendor, both located at Ogome, a suburb of Somanya, robbing the former of an unspecified amount of money and the latter of GHC28,000.

The robbers shot three persons during the act. Twelve days prior to that, eight robbers attacked the SP Gas filling station, bolting away with an unspecified amount of cash.

Though a Toyota Camry saloon car is available for use by the police, the lack of an appropriate patrol vehicle remains a bother.

A police source who spoke with GhanaWeb bemoaned that the saloon car used by personnel for various operations is unfit for the kind of tasks demanded by the job.

“We need a proper patrol vehicle because the Camry, that Toyota Camry cannot be used to combat things like this, we need a very good vehicle such as a pick-up,” said the police source.

Personnel of the service on the night of the latest incident were forced to pursue the robbers in a private vehicle after police had received a distress call about the activities of the four masked criminals.

Asked if the absence of a patrol vehicle impeded the efforts of the police in responding to the distress call of the victims, the source answered in the affirmative.

With the ongoing Ngmayem Festival at nearby Manya Krobo and the upcoming Kloyosikplemi festival in the Yilo Krobo Area, the police are calling on residents, particularly business operators to be security conscious.

Meanwhile, the police following the earlier incident, wrote to all major businesses and offices directing them close by 8 pm to avert attacks on their businesses.

Despite the caution, businesses continue to operate beyond the stated time.

To complement the efforts of the police towards combating crime in the area, residents have been called upon to form watchdog committees to ensure that they provide extra security for themselves.