A Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) George Tuffour, outgoing Northern Regional Police Commander, had decried the inadequate number of police personnel in the region.

He said the ration of one police is to 2,755 people in the region was affecting policing and making the fight against crime difficult.

DCOP Tuffour, who made the disclosure at this year’s West Africa Security Service Association in Tamale on Friday, said the numerical strength of the police was 900 while the population of the region per the 2010 population census, was 2,479,461.

He appealed to the public to support the police to combat crime, and promised that personnel would uphold professionalism despite difficulties.

DCOP Tuffour said the region was facing security challenges such as chieftaincy disputes, communal conflicts and armed robbery, but the police would be able to curb overcome these challengers.

On crime cases, he said the Regional Police Command tackled 1,768 crime cases in 2011, 2,149 in 2012, while 293 motor offences were reported in 2011 and 192 in 2012.

Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, Northern Regional Coordinating Director, commended the police for maintaining peace in the area,.

He, however, expressed worry about the rate at which the youth, especially students, were involved in armed robbery and other criminal activities.