ARCHBISHOP ANGELA PALMER-BUCKLE, are you following and praying for the Police and Military in Upper East?

Holy Father, I wish to respectfully ask if you are following and praying for the Police and Military in the Upper East Region.

 

Criminal Activities

Holy Father, the region is bordered by Togo and Burkina Faso, Upper West and North East Regions. It faces security challenges such as a threat from extremists and terrorists, armed robbery, targetted assassination, hoarding of arms by feuding families and ethnic groups, smuggling, motorcycle snatching, small arms and human trafficking.

Fighting Crime

Holy Father, the Police and Military have invested some resources into countering and preventing terrorism and dealing with internal criminal activities and social disorder.

Operational gaps

Holy Father, you need to pray for the Police and the Military to note and deal with the following gaps:

Terrain and Motorcycles

The Military have invested in heavy artillery and tracked armoured vehicles.They are impressive hardware. But, are they suited for the terrain in the region and the sort of highly mobile motorbike-based attacks that extremists and terrorists unleash?

It is common knowledge in the Security and Intelligence sector that extremists and terrorists in West Africa operate in large numbers on motorcycles. It is well known that elements of the Malian Army are switching to motorbikes to chase after the fast moving jihadist bands.

Is Ghana’s Military waiting for terrorists to strike before they realise the need for motorbikes in the semi-arid terrain in the region?

Unwalled Barracks and FOBs

Holy Father, except the Paga FOB, the Bazua No. 11 Mechanized Battalion barracks and the FOBs at Mognori and Polimakom are not walled? So, it is easy to see the armoured vehicles, and daily activities of the soldiers.

Unless there is a psycho-ops reason for the open display of military hardware and soldiers to criminal syndicates and terrorists on reconnaissance checks in the region, the Military High Command ought to take steps to construct walls around the barracks and FOBs.

Motorbikes for the Police

The Police use a wrinkle armoured vehicle, light armoured patrol vehicle, patrol vehicles (pickup and trooper), a bullion truck as prisoner carrying vehicle, and a bus for its operations, especially for policing the ongoing Bawku Kusasi-Mamprusi conflict.

However, the methods for motorbike snatching in Bolgatanga, armed robbery in Bawku West, Talensi, and Nandam enclaves provide strong reasons for the Police to acquire fast and strong jungle-type motorbikes to combat crime.

Recently, IGP DAMPARE allocated 25 motorbikes to the region to be used to fight crime.

Even though it is regrettable the recent incident in Zuarungu in which armed men robbed a shop and shot and killed two Policemen on a motorbike, that incident also sends strong signals by the criminals of the threat motorcycle visibility policing poses to their criminal activities in the region.

Notwithstanding, the Police must enforce the community-based motorcycle policing project. In my estimation, they need ten (10) more motorbikes at Bolgatanga, Bongo and Fumbisi.

Boosting Intelligence Gathering

The Intelligence team in the region must adopt a data- driven culture and leveraging technology in dealing with security threats.

One of the immediate causes of the current Bawku crisis is social media bullying by accounts such as “Bawku Links,” “Moshi Naba,” “Naa Tampuri,” etc. It is quite obvious that the Upper East Police do not the capacity to deal with cybercrime. They do need support from the National Police Headquarters to combat cybercrime.

Accordingly, the Police Intelligence Department and the Police Cybersecurity Department ought to be proactive rather than reactive by sending a crack team to instill in the Upper East Police Crime Department, a culture that is empirical, data-driven, and defined by forensic rigour.

Drought, Poverty and Unemployment

It is December, and the water bodies are drying up, bush fires are raging, resisted only by the anthills of the Savannah.

Holy Father, the impact of drought, poverty, unemployment and ethnic frictions in Upper East Region go far deeper than can be imagined.

The predominantly security focussed approach to fighting crime is likely to prove counter-productive as it fails to address underlying socio-economic problems that drive so many young people into crime in the region.

Recommendations

Holy Father, may your prayers touch hearts and lives to implement these few recommendations:

(1). Motorcycles for the Military for anti-terrorism operations. An imperative!

(2). The No.11 Mechanized Battalion barracks and the FOBs at Mognori and Polimakom must be walled.

(3). More motorcycles for the Police. Recently, the Police Administration provided twenty (25) motorcycles to the Upper East Police. Appeals must go to benevolent organisations and citizens to assist the Police with ten (10) more motorcycles. I recommend two (2) motorcycles should be given to the Bongo Police to use on the 13 km route to Namon on the Burkina Faso border. Also, I recommend three (3) motorcycles for the Fumbisi Police in the Builsa South District.

(4). Tents and benches for the Police to be used for:

(a). Motobikes visibility posts at Zuarungu and Bolgatanga (especially at Zuaminga, Estate, Hospital junction, Banks, Parks and Gardens, etc).

(b). A Police post at the White Volta bridge at Bazua

(c). Police posts at Kangari and Mouri on the Garu-Nankpanduri road.

(5). Upgrade of the Pusiga Police Station.

Bawku Central is a hotbed of Kusasi-Mamprusi conflict, targetted assassinations, and notorious smuggling activities needing the full attention of the Bawku Police.

Consequently, It is important that the nearby Pusiga Distict Police station needs to be upgraded and equipped to handle crime at the border towns of Polimakom, Widana and Kulungugu.

(6). The Security and Intelligence teams must be encouraged to be more imaginative.

It is unpredictable events like the smuggling of fifty (50) mini drums of sodium cyanide into a Bawku war zone during curfew hours on 1st December, 2021, and

the robbery and killing of the two Police men at Zuarungu on 15th December, 2021, that the Intelligence team must prepare for. The Police stated that Zuarungu is not an armed robbery endemic area. Is that a reason for the Police to not have at least one snap check point from the outskirts of Bolgatanga, through Zuarungu and Kongo to Nandam?

The Intelligence team must think ahead of a region with such complexities- chieftaincy disputes, ethnic violence, armed robbery, smuggling and other cross border crimes.

A lack of Imagination can cause security failure in the region!!

Hail Mary!

Owula Mangortey

18th December, 2021