Crime & Punishment of Friday, 29 January 2016

Source: GNA

Pomadze building police station to stem robberies

The Chiefs and people of Gomoa-Pomadze in the Central Region are constructing a nine-room Police Station with toilet and bathroom facilities.

The projects estimated at GH¢300 million cedis, is being funded through self-help.

Gomoaba Nana Apata Kofi V, the Gomoa-Pomadzehene, announced this after he and other Sub-Chiefs in the Town had inspected the progress of work on the project, on Tuesday.

Nana Apata Kofi, who is also the Guantoahene of the Gomoa-Ajumako Traditional Area, expressed appreciation to the Gomoa-East District Assembly for supporting the people with GH¢20,000.00 when the project started two years ago.

He said that the people took the initiative when a group of armed robbers mounted a series of deadly attacks on the residents of the town during the early days of 2013.

Nana Apata Kofi said that the attacks led to the killing of some law-abiding inhabitants of the Town, including two policemen.

The Guantoahene expressed the optimism that the early completion of the project would definitely help reduce rampant armed robbery attacks and other criminal activities in the area.

The Guantoahene said that the provision of a police station in the town would afford adequate security not only to the indigenes, but also for hundreds of non-indigenes in the town.

Nana Apata Kofi disclosed that Pomadze Town had a total population of about 1,000 people including, students, lecturers, doctors, nurses, police and fire service personnel, due to the proximity to Winneba, the Universities of Education, Winneba, and the Pan African Christian University College, now Perez University College, at Gomoa-Pomadze.

He said the decision to construct the police station was taken at an emergency meeting of Chiefs, Queen Mothers, and Stool Elders in the Town following the rampant armed robbery cases that the people experienced a couple of years ago.

Nana Apata Kofi said participants at that crucial meeting expressed the hope that the move would ensure effective protection of students, and the various categories of state-employed and private company employees, staying in the area to enable them to have the much-needed peace to conduct their day-to-day functions.

He appealed to the Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Communication Networking Companies, as well as other private companies, and philanthropists, to extend some helping hands to the people of Pomadze to ensure the speedy execution of the project.

Nana Apata Kofi said that the assistance could be either in financial or building materials form, explaining that, “My people are more prepared to provide intensive communal labour to complete this very important project as early as possible”.

According to the Guantoahene, the appeal for Governmental and other support had become necessary to due lack of adequate financial resources, which had virtually brought constructional works on the project to a standstill for some months now.