The current number of Police personnel under the Anloga District Police Command is woefully inadequate.
Checks by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) revealed that the Command made up of Alakple Police Station, Anloga Police Station and Anyanui Police Station has only 26 personnel serving the vast and expanding coastal district and, home to the traditional capital of the Anlos.
These same 26 Police officers are also expected to be deployed to the two barriers at Anloga and Savietula, some to guard duties at financial institutions, patrols, and others to serve at the District Headquarters.
The Anyanui Police Station for instance, has just three police officers; station officer and two others while the Alakple Police Station has only two; station officer and one other despite the availability of barracks at both places to provide accommodation to personnel.
Meanwhile, a Police post on the Bleamezado stretch in the Shime area is yet to be assigned personnel and made operational.
Also, the Department of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) at the District Police Headquarters has just one officer to manage all domestic violence cases (prevalent in the district).
Besides, there are only three non-trained detectives in the district after all four trained detectives had been sent away on transfer without any replacement for them.
The situation is impacting negatively on effective policing in the relatively new district such that Police patrol, especially, an important operational activity in policing is almost non-existent in the district.
Some personnel, who spoke to the GNA on condition of anonymity, said it was increasingly becoming difficult to take care of the security needs of the district.
'Patrolling and/or responding to distress calls from residents is a real challenge because we're few. Already, we hardly get days off and we're to run day and night shifts. We stretch ourselves on daily basis. All of this has security implications,' one said.
'Ideally, four to five men - armed, are to go on patrols but where are they? The common cases in this area are land litigation, murder, drowning, domestic violence, stealing and threatening. One thing about patrolling is that it helps in crime prevention and fighting,' another said.
Mr Joseph Kpattah, Assembly member for Bleamezado Electoral Area and Presiding member, Anloga District Assembly in an interview with GNA underscored the need for Management of Ghana Police Service to post more personnel to augment the strength of the police in the district.
'The inadequate number of police personnel is affecting us badly. There's a police officer post here, almost ready but no police have been posted to come. The Anloga Police don't have the men to send out for patrol duties. For instance, their patrol vehicle never comes to the Shime area. Meanwhile crime such as drug use and fraud are becoming rampant.'
Dzita-Anyanui enclave, noted for fishing and farming in the recent past, had been bedeviled with quite a number of gory murder cases with most of the bodies discovered by the townsfolks either in the mangrove (which abounds in the area) or shallowly buried at the seashore, some, without vital parts, a development, which virtually placed residents under perpetual curfew.
Speaking to the GNA, Mr Ken Kpedor, President, Anlo Youth Council and native of the area, appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to beef up police numbers in the district for effective policing to make the area 'an even safer, more secure place to live' and help reduce crime in the entire district.
Source: Ghana News Agency