Western Regional Minister, Ebenezer Teye Addo, has charged police officers particularly those in the region, to rise to the challenge of dealing with illegal miners whose activities are causing severe damage to water bodies.

The Minister expressed grave concern about the threat posed by galamsey operators in the region. He asked the Police to improve on its intelligent gathering, to predict security challenges before they emerge and escalate.

“The illegal mining activities in the area is a major security concern to the Regional Security Council and the nation as a whole. It is imperative that the Police, in concert with other security services, begin to assess the dangers posed to the region”, he intimated.

He made the call at the opening of a Senior Police Officers Conference of the Western Regional Police Command.

Western Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye, said the Police is committed to making the region the safest oil region in Africa.

“If this galamsey problem is not solved now, it will degenerate to the extent that, very soon we will have a lot of gangsterism in this region,” DCOP Boakye observed.