It is good tidings learning about the replacement of the stolen crash barriers on one of the tiers of the Pokuase Interchange.
That was swift. Because of the importance of the protective role they play for vehicles as they fall over to the lower tier in the event of accidents, the authorities could not have tarried any longer. We call for an expedited investigation in locating the daring thieves who because of their sophistication could return.
Matters arising since the theft make interesting observation. It has emerged that those who stole the barriers pretended to be part of the work gang which worked on the project, reflective vests et al and a parked vehicle nearby. It was about 5am and a man who lived nearby and saw the men working/stealing did not raise an eyebrow.
The theft was discovered only when the bona fide workers denied being responsible for the removal of the crash barriers and the streetlights.
The stolen barriers with a value of $3,500 have been replaced, this time welded to ensure that the thieves are unable to just pull them off as they did earlier.
Being on top of such thieveries, we are not completely convinced that the measures taken would be enough to stop future attempts.
The tricks they used worked for them but with others up their sleeves, they could pull another fast one.
The thieves are so daring that they would not mind stripping the asphalt overlay were that possible. They could not care a hoot about the effect of their criminality.
Residents in the neighbourhood and others should be sensitised about the need to be conscious about their surroundings so that all can become citizen-vigilantes and partake in the protection of state property.
Shouldn’t the security and monitoring lights recently installed in some parts of Accra be sited along the various tiers of the interchange? We think that is necessary because the value of the fittings on the interchange is too mouthwatering for the thieves and their scrap dealers collaborators.
Since we have not heard anything about the arrest of the thieves, we can regretfully conclude that they have eluded all efforts to nab them.
We did not think that it would take this long to get the thieves considering the possible places the stolen stuff could end up.
We are still convinced that the scrap dealerships in Accra can be of immense help in the investigations unless there is no appetite for hunting down the criminals.
Any success in stealing any of the parts of the interchange would be shameful to those in charge of protecting public property now that the lost barriers have been replaced.