Police check on robberies

Accra, July 4, GNA - The Police Administration has deployed more personnel from the National Headquarters to assist the Regional Highway Patrol Units to curb the rising incidence of highway robbery. The personnel are operating along 17 major roads in all the 11 Police regions of the country.

A statement in Accra from the Police Public Relations Directorate on Monday said the exercise, involving both mobile patrols and snap checks along the routes began two-weeks ago.

It said the patrol team as part of the exercise conducted in the affected areas identified some loading boys at various lorry stations as suspects, who facilitated crimes.

It said information gathered at various towns in the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Northern Regions indicated that the loading boys communicated the movement of vehicles to their accomplices who laid ambush along the various routes.

It was also detected that the loading boys took particular notice of some of the traders, who carried huge sums of money at lorry stations and passed on the information to armed robbers.

In a related development, the Kintampo Police has between November 2004 and June this year arrested 10 Fulani herdsmen in connection with highway robberies, the release said.

It said the Police together with Neighbourhood Watch Committees had mapped out strategies to monitor activities of the Fulani herdsmen. So far about 350 of them had been registered in five villages around Kintampo.

The release expressed gratitude to Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regional Coordinating Councils, their Municipal and District Assemblies, the Transport Unions and Communities along the routes for assisting the Officers engaged in the exercise.